As the race to the moon becomes tighter and countries come close to launching long term missions to the lunar surface, Australia is the latest entrant. Australia has announced a rover to be sent on the Moon with the Artemis mission that will collect lunar regolith, which contains oxygen (in the form of oxides).
The rover would collect soil that contains oxides and Nasa would use separate equipment to extract oxygen from that soil, a government statement said. Oxygen extracted from the lunar surface would ultimately be used to sustain a human presence on the moon and support future missions to Mars.
For Nasa, the Australian rover provides a complementary capability. While the lander that delivers the rover will include a mechanism for collecting lunar soil and depositing it into Nasa’s ISRU system, the rover offers a second means of collection and increases the overall chances of a successful demonstration.
Nasa said that the small-scale technology demonstration will aid in the design of larger, more capable units in the future. "Such units could enable astronauts to use resources on the Moon to create rocket fuel and other mission consumables," the agency said.
The Australian Space Agency and Nasa have signed an agreement under which the rover could be launched to the lunar surface by as soon as 2026. “This agreement will serve to strengthen the longtime relationship between the United States and Australia in areas related to space exploration a relationship that goes back more than half a century to the days of the Apollo program,” said Nasa Administrator Bill Nelson.
The Australian government will fund the development of the rover under its $150 million Moon to Mars initiative, announced in 2019. Engineers will be looking to design the rover under a weight limit of 20 kilograms as it will be flown to the moon by Nasa, only if it meets certain criteria.
“Australia is at the cutting-edge of robotics technology and systems for remote operations, which are going to be central to setting up a sustainable presence on the Moon and eventually supporting human exploration of Mars,” said Enrico Palermo, head of the Australian Space Agency.
Australian Space Agency deputy head Anthony Murfett said Nasa had been impressed by the technology used to remotely control from 1,600 kilometres huge dump trucks that transport iron ore from mines in northwest Australia.
Nasa said that for the broader space community, the partnership between Nasa and the Australian Space Agency broadens the Artemis coalition across a variety of geographic, as well as scientific and technology, sectors.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMib2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmluZGlhdG9kYXkuaW4vc2NpZW5jZS9zdG9yeS9hdXN0cmFsaWEtbW9vbi1yb3Zlci1uYXNhLWFydGVtaXMtbWlzc2lvbi1sdW5hci1iYXNlLTE4NjQ3MjYtMjAyMS0xMC0xNNIBc2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmluZGlhdG9kYXkuaW4vYW1wL3NjaWVuY2Uvc3RvcnkvYXVzdHJhbGlhLW1vb24tcm92ZXItbmFzYS1hcnRlbWlzLW1pc3Npb24tbHVuYXItYmFzZS0xODY0NzI2LTIwMjEtMTAtMTQ?oc=5
2021-10-14 09:19:34Z
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