The Australian Space Agency, in partnership with NASA, is working with Australia’s space industry to design and build an Australian-made rover.
This is part of the $150 million Trailblazer program under the Moon to Mars Initiative and Australians now have the chance to be part of history.
In a statement, the agency said:
“Australia, we’re going to the Moon. The Australian Space Agency wants to bring the nation on its boldest adventure yet.”
The space agency has announced a competition providing people with an opportunity to name Australia’s lunar rover.
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.
“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.”
Drawing on Australia’s world-leading remote operations expertise, the rover will collect lunar soil, known as regolith and NASA will attempt to extract oxygen from the sample.
“This is a key step towards establishing a sustainable human presence on the Moon. It will also support future missions to Mars.”
The rover will go to the Moon as part of a future Artemis mission by as early as 2026.
Competition stages
Tuesday 5 September – Friday 20 October 2023
Competition open. Entries close at 11:59pm (ADST) on 20 October.
Monday 23 October – Friday 17 November 2023
Shortlisting process starts. Individuals or schools with shortlisted names notified.
Monday 20 November – Friday 1 December 2023
Public voting takes place.
Wednesday 6 December 2023
Winning rover name will be announced at the 16th Australian Space Forum in Sydney.
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