Australia is going to the Moon in the form of a semi-autonomous, Australian-made rover. 

Roo-ver, the name of the nation's first lunar rover, will go to the Moon later this decade with NASA as part of a future Artemis mission. 

Two Australian industry consortia – AROSE and ELO2 – are working on early-stage rover concepts as part of Stage One of the Agency's Moon to Mars initiative’s Trailblazer program.

Today, the Australian Space Agency released a video series capturing the pioneering work being undertaken in one of the country's most advanced robotics programs.

Three key themes have emerged during Stage One of Trailblazer - capability, history and teamwork - with the program showcasing the diverse range of talent and industries that are coming together to make history.  

Advancing National Capability

History in the Making

 

First-hand stories from the teams

What's Stage Two of the Trailblazer program?

Stage Two will see one consortium selected to develop the fully realised Roo-ver that will go to the Moon within this decade. 

The rover is being built to collect lunar soil from the Moon and deliver it to a NASA payload, which will attempt to extract oxygen from the sample. This is a major step towards a sustainable human presence on the Moon and one that could support future missions to Mars.

 

An illustration of Australia's rover on the moon

Meet Roo-ver

Roo-ver is the name of our history-making rover, but how much do you actually know about it?

Explore

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We Acknowledge First Nations Peoples as the Traditional Custodians and Lore Keepers of the oldest living culture and pay respects to their Elders past and present. We extend that respect to all First Nations Peoples.