China’s Yutu-2 rover on the lunar surface in 2019. Photo credit: CSNA/Siyu Zhang/Kevin M. Gill via Wikipedia
Australia is heading to the Moon, with the Federal Government reaching an agreement with NASA for an Australian-made rover to be included in a future mission.
Leading Australian businesses and researchers will come together to develop the rover, backed by $50-million in funding from the Trailblazer program in the Government’s ‘Moon to Mars’ initiative.
The semi-autonomous rover will collect lunar soil that contains oxides and, using separate equipment, NASA will aim to extract oxygen from the soil. This is a key step towards establishing a sustainable human presence on the Moon and supporting future missions to Mars.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia’s mission to the Moon would contribute to growing the economy in the Covid-19 recovery period and create more local jobs.
“This is an incredible opportunity for Australia to succeed in the global space sector, and is central to our Government’s vision to secure more jobs and a larger share of the growing space economy,” the Prime Minister noted.
“By 2030, we want to triple the size of our space sector – adding $12-billion to our economy and creating up to 20,000 new, high-skilled jobs. – providing more opportunities for Australians and industries.
Morrison said the Government had invested more than $700-million in the civil space sector since July 2018 and was supporting core industries including manufacturing, robotics, engineering, mining and resources.
“This mission to the Moon is just one exciting way that we can create opportunity and jobs for the future and … ensure Australians reap the benefits,” the PM stated.
Minister for Science and Technology, Melissa Price, said the milestone agreement would usher-in a new era for the Australian space sector.
“With our expertise in robotics technology, NASA wants to partner with us on this project to the Moon, creating our own lunar history,” Price said.
“As well as putting Australia front and centre for scientific discoveries, our $50-million in support gives Australian businesses and researchers the opportunity to contribute to NASA’s mission to the Moon and beyond.
“It will build the Australian space sector’s capability and capacity, and showcase Australia’s strengths to the world, as well as inspire a whole new generation of young people to enter careers in science, technology, engineering and maths.”
Head of the Australian Space Agency, Enrico Palermo, said the mission would demonstrate Australian industry’s world-leading skills and experience in remote operations, drawing from the nation’s expertise in the resources and mining sector.
“Australia is at the cutting-edge of robotics technology and systems for remote operations, which are going to be central to setting up a sustainable presence on the Moon and eventually supporting human exploration of Mars,” Palermo said.