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The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) wants you to vote in naming Canada’s first rover that will explore the South Pole of the moon.
The CSA compiled four names as finalists and now the public has an opportunity to weigh-in and vote on these names.
They include:
- Athabasca – Athabasca is a river flowing from the Rockies through Alberta to Lake Athabasca. Canada’s rivers and streams have been the routes of the continent for millennia and continue to be pathways of discovery, transport and exchange. The names of the rivers also reflect Canada’s diversity and heritage. Future rovers from our fleet could continue this trend by taking names of other Canadian natural wonders.
- Courage – To be brave and confident to do what you believe in, Courage is representative of the work that has led to the Canadian lunar rover. This lunar rover mission is the outcome of over two decades of building and refining our expertise in rover technology with Canadian industry and academia.
- Glacier – Glaciers are made of ice, and that is what the rover will be looking for: water in the form of ice. The name also appeals to Canada’s northness: glaciers are important features of Canada’s West and Arctic. Our country is home to approximately 20% of Earth’s glacier ice volume (excluding the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets).
- Pol-R – Creative spelling of Polar, which refers to regions close to the North Pole or South Pole. A big part of Canada is located in the north polar circle, and the rover mission will be landing in the south polar region of the Moon.
Voting is open now through December 20, 2024 and all Canadians are eligible to vote, with one vote per person.
Canada’s lunar rover, built by Canadensys Aerospace, is headed to the moon’s South Pole because this is where future astronauts will explore as scientific research suggests the area contains large amounts of frozen water necessary to help establish a moon base.
The CSA said the rover “will demonstrate innovative key technologies, gather scientific information, and search for water in the form of ice.”
