Earlier this week Public Services and Procurement Canada posted notice that Canadensys Aerospace Corporation and MDA Ltd. had been awarded contracts for the Lunar Exploration Accelerator Program (LEAP) Lunar Rover Phase A. The two companies and their respective teams now have up to eight months to make their case as the Canadian Space Agency will downselect to one winning bid to build Canada’s first lunar rover.
Canadensys was awarded a $1.6 million contract while MDA was awarded $1.76 million contract. The Canadian Space Agency in its original tender had stated that up to two contracts would be awarded and with a total maximum funding of $1.8 million per contract.
In Phase the two teams will need “to demonstrate and confirm the feasibility, value and benefits of the proposed rover and instruments suite for validating technology and conduct opportunistic science on the Moon, and to demonstrate the validity of the mission requirements as well as the development of the system requirements and concept designs for the rover and its instrument suite. The LRM (Lunar Rover Mission) will include at least two science instruments: one from Canada and one from the United States of America (U.S.).”
The U.S. instrument will be funded by NASA and there’s a maximum of US$5 million allocated for this instrument. The Canadian “micro-rover” will be flown to the Moon on under a NASA funded Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) contract. The Canadian rover is expected to launch and lad on the Moon by 2026.
Canadensys
Canadensys bring years of experience to the LEAP program. Canadensys has won several CSA rover contracts over the last seven years including the LEAP Lunar Surface Autonomous Science Payloads initiative and the Mars Sample Fetch Rover Concept.
Canadensys also has several payloads headed to the Moon on international missions, several funded in part by NASA. The company is usually quite reserved when discussing early stage contracts and this is once again the case.
Canadensys have not released their technology or science teams at this time for strategic reasons but we did talk to Christian Sallaberger, President and CEO who stated that “Canada is going to the moon, and we are honoured to be playing a key role. Our years of experience, proven track record in lunar rover technology, and our dedicated team of scientists and engineers will deliver a significant Canadian contribution to international space exploration, and demonstrate advanced technologies that also position Canada well for significant contributions to future missions. We take our responsibility seriously in bringing this mission to fruition for Canada, with the CSA, NASA and our Canadian and US partners.”
MDA
MDA, including its subsidiary Neptec, have a wide range of experience in developing rover platforms and technology including the navigation cameras and the mobility system for the European Space Agency’s ExoMars rover. Recently MDA won a contract to provide Intuitive Machines with Lunar landing sensors for its upcoming IM-1 and IM-2 missions.
MDA issued a press release on winning this contract that included their technology and science team as well as their public outreach partners.
- Technology team: Mission Control Space Services; CTA (Centre de Technologies Avancées BRP-UdeS); Institut national d’optique (INO); Clearpath Robotics; Kepler Communications; Xiphos Systems Corporation; Delton Innovations Ltd.; NASA Ames Research Center; University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies; and Carleton University.
- Science team: York University; Western University; Concordia University; University of Hawaii; Stoney Brook University; Ingenium, Canada’s Museums of Science and Innovation; and the Natural History Museum. The team will be led by Professor Michael Daly of York University.
- Public outreach, education and engagement: Felix & Paul Studios; and Mission Control Space Services.
In the press release Mike Greenley, Chief Executive Officer, MDA stated “We are proud to lead this highly capable and experienced technical and academic team. With this depth of talent, we believe that our team will surpass the goals of the CSA’s mission while developing state-of-the-art technologies and scientific approaches that will position MDA and the Canadian space industry for the rapidly-growing global space economy, paving the way for future commercial applications on the lunar surface and beyond.”