Acknowledgement to Channel 7 Sunrise – 5 September 2023
Earlier today, Enrico Palermo, head of the Australian Space Agency announced a naming competition for the lunar rover that will go to the Moon in 2026.
The ELO2 Consortium lead by EPE and Lunar Outpost Oceania is one of two teams that has spent the last few months designing and developing that rover!
The Australian Space Agency, in partnership with NASA, is working with Australia’s space industry to design and build an Australian-made rover. It’s part of the Trailblazer program under the Moon to Mars initiative.
Drawing on Australia’s world-leading remote operations expertise, the rover will collect lunar soil, known as regolith. NASA will attempt to extract oxygen from the sample. This is a key step towards a sustainable human presence on the Moon.
The rover will go to the Moon as part of a future Artemis mission by as early as 2026.
The competition
Australians can enter a name that will be in the running to be selected for the rover.
Individuals and schools across Australia can enter a rover name, along with a brief explanation for choosing it.
How to enter
The competition is now open. We will select a shortlist of 4 names from your entries and put them to a public vote. We’ll announce the winner in December.