First Canadian rover to explore the Moon
- Status: Project ended
The Canadian rover was set to land on the south pole of the Moon, with a suite of scientific payloads. Its mission objective was to explore a region of the lunar south pole and gather scientific data to help find water ice and allow scientists to better understand the lunar geology and environment.
The knowledge and capabilities in robotics mobility attained so far could be used on other missions, such as the lunar utility rover, and serve commercialization purposes. The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) remains committed to deep-space and lunar surface exploration, and will ensure that Canada maximizes the value of the investments in the project thus far.
The lunar rover mission led to strong collaborations between academia and industry partners. The science team, composed of 50 scientists from Canada and abroad, will be able to continue their research for the length of their grants, allowing them to gain hands-on experience to help guide science decisions for future missions.
A Canadian lunar rover prototype during tests on the Canadian Space Agency's analogue terrain simulating lunar conditions. (Credit: CSA)