On September 5th, the Australian Space Agency (ASA) announced its plans to send the first-ever robot to the Moon as part of NASA’s Artemis mission in the coming years.
Australia’s first exploration robot on the surface of the Moon is depicted in the image. Image credit: Australian Space Agency.
Utilizing Australia’s world-class remote operating technology, the autonomous robot will collect lunar soil, known as regolith, while NASA aims to extract oxygen from the samples. This represents a pivotal step towards establishing sustainable human presence on the Moon, according to ASA.
The robot is currently nameless, and ASA has initiated a naming contest for this pioneering robot. Australian residents can participate, with a deadline set for October 20th. ASA will select the top four favorite names and then conduct a public vote. The winning name is expected to be announced in early December.
NASA is actively working on establishing a sustainable human presence on and around the Moon by the late 2020s through the Artemis program. The knowledge and skills gained during this endeavor will contribute to the ultimate goal of sending humans to Mars.
As of now, NASA has successfully completed one mission under the Artemis program, Artemis 1. In this mission, the crewless Orion spacecraft orbited the Moon and returned to Earth in 2022. NASA is preparing for the next mission, Artemis 2, with the goal of taking four astronauts around the Moon. Artemis 2 is slated for launch in late 2024. The subsequent mission, Artemis 3, aims to land astronauts near the lunar south pole by late 2025 or 2026, if all goes according to plan.
NASA is leveraging commercial and international partnerships to achieve the ambitious goals of Artemis. The participation of Australia’s autonomous robot in the upcoming Artemis mission serves as one such example. Additionally, the European Space Agency (ESA) is providing equipment modules for the Orion spacecraft, and SpaceX’s Starship will serve as the lunar landing vehicle for the program’s first crewed missions. According to Space.