An Australian-made Moon rover prototype is touring the country to undertake design validation testing at specialist facilities. Following the unveiling of three new prototypes in Adelaide in March, where the ELO2 Consortium demonstrated its autonomous robotics capabilities by driving a rover at the Australian Rover Challenge from a remote operations command centre located across the globe, ELO2 is taking the prototypes on a road trip across Australia.
The ELO2 Consortium, co-led by EPE and Lunar Outpost Oceania, has been awarded funding under the Australian Space Agency’s Moon to Mars Initiative: Trailblazer Program Stage 1 to design an Australian Made rover for a future mission to the Moon with NASA, as part of the Artemis program. If successful in winning Stage 2, the ELO2 rover will become Australia’s first lunar rover and its name will be “Roo-ver”, as voted by the Australian public.
The ELO2 Consortium prototype rovers have been officially accredited with the Australian Made certification, recognising them as being genuinely made in Australia.
The prototypes highlight the importance of locally designed and engineered products. Built in Australia by a consortium of Australian companies, the ELO2 prototype rovers underscore the Australian Government’s commitment to innovation and local manufacturing.
“By building a consortium of Australian companies and research organisations designing and manufacturing space robotics hardware and software right here in Australia, we’re not only ensuring the sustainability of the industry but also growing local jobs, building Australia’s economy, and helping Australia make its mark in the global space ecosystem,” said Joseph Kenrick, Program Manager at Lunar Outpost Oceania.
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