SpaceQ Space news and analysis.
The Canadian Space Agency today issued a Letter of Interest (LOI) notification for a Lunar Utility Vehicle that would support astronaut operations on the lunar surface as part of the Artemis Program.
The LOI release coincides with a webinar the CSA is hosting today related to the “potential procurement approach for the Canadian lunar utility vehicle.”
A Lunar Utility Vehicle has been a hot topic of discussion for more than a year. Budget 2023 included a section titled Supporting Canadian Leadership in Space which included the news that Canada was going to contribute a “robotic lunar utility vehicle to perform key activities in support of human lunar exploration.” Budget 2023 proposed $1.2 billion over 13 years starting this year for the project.
The LOI titled Letter of Interest (LOI) Canada’s Lunar Utility Vehicle – Phase 0 and Rover Technology Development has a budget upwards of $36M according to the posting. Those interested have until October 31, 2024 at 2:00 P.M. EDT to submit their interest.
At the recent Space Canada Horizons event in Ottawa, Christian Lange, Executive Director of the CSA’s Lunar Exploration Program spoke about the potential program and acknowledged that it is a really big yet vague project. “We do really need to work together to fix this, in terms of getting a solution that we can deliver on budget without a given or fixed timeline, and without basically exactly the known specifications of the rover, so that we can maximize the value of our Canadian contribution to the lunar architecture.”
According to the CSA the rover could be designed for the following operations:
- Handle logistics tasks, such as moving cargo packages from their landing sites to the habitats and performing construction activities (e.g. preparing landing pads and laying cables)
- Perform science investigations that will enable the Artemis missions and Moon exploration as a whole, such as scouting for navigation and surveying for ice or other resources
- Support astronauts during spacewalks on the lunar surface
Today’s second webinar on the Lunar Utility Vehicle along with the documents available through today’s LOI should provide those interested with some of the answer they seek in preparation to submit their letters of interest.
