Australia picks builders for country's 1st lunar rover -- Roo-ver

Government-backed program will see vehicle fly on NASA mission

20241217 kangaroover

The ELO2 consortium has been tapped to build Australia's first lunar rover, named the Roover after the country's famous marsupial. (Photo courtesy of ELO2)

SHAUN TURTON, Nikkei staff writer

SYDNEY -- The Australian Space Agency (ASA) on Tuesday chose the consortium ELO2 to build the country's first lunar rover, with plans to launch the semiautonomous vehicle on a NASA Artemis mission later this decade.

Backed by 42 million Australian dollars ($26 million) in government funds, ELO2 will move to the next phase of developing its prototype into the Roo-ver, named after the country's famed marsupial. The rover will collect lunar soil, known as regolith, from which scientists will try to extract oxygen.

Sponsored Content

About Sponsored ContentThis content was commissioned by Nikkei's Global Business Bureau.