The initiative includes the Trailblazer program, which will see the design and development of an Australian-made semi-autonomous rover go to the Moon with NASA as part of its Artemis program.

The Australian Space Agency is now working with Australia’s space industry to design and build that rover. 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 a sustainable human presence on the Moon.

The AROSE consortium is one of two successful teams chosen for Stage 1 of the flagship Trailblazer mission. In Trailblazer Stage 1, the successful applicants are developing foundation services rover solutions – through early mission phases to Preliminary Design Review. Trailblazer Stage 2 will see a single successful applicant, selected from Trailblazer Stage 1, take their foundation services rover to launch and the lunar operations phase.

Space exploration has led to discoveries and technologies that improve our lives on Earth. This includes technologies that make us healthier, help us respond to climate change, increase productivity in critical industries, fast track technology development, keep us safe, and allows us to better understand our place in the universe.

Going to the Moon also requires huge leaps forward in science and technology across multiple industries. From Manufacturing to Mining, to Health and Science, and critical technologies such as AI and Robotics – space exploration requires the skills and capabilities from all these areas.

By getting Australian industries involved in Australia’s first mission to the Moon, we can advance these industries, while also boosting our economy and generating jobs now and for the next generation.

Meet the AROSE Lunar Rover Team