The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) announced on July 29 the awarding of initial study contracts for a lunar utility rover, a significant step in Canada's enhanced participation in the Artemis program. Canadensys Aerospace Corporation, MDA Space and Mission Control received a combined 14.6 million Canadian dollars ($10.6 million USD) to evaluate various rover designs and mission parameters over the next 18 months.
This initiative is part of a larger, 13-year, 1.2 billion Canadian dollar program, launched in 2023, aimed at developing a rover to support human lunar exploration. A crucial aspect of this project mandates at least 60% domestic content initially, rising to 80% in subsequent phases. Canada's contribution to Artemis secures Canadian astronaut seats on future missions.
The Artemis 2 crew's 2023 visit to Canada, including Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen – poised to become the first non-American in lunar vicinity – provided a platform for unveiling the rover plans. “Through the design and development of this lunar utility rover, Canada will collaborate with international partners to shape the next era of human exploration of the moon,” stated Mélanie Joly, Canada’s Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions.
For Mission Control, a space software company, this marks their inaugural rover design. Their 4.7 million Canadian dollar contract encompasses defining the rover's functionalities, from astronaut assistance and cargo transport to construction tasks, and developing essential technologies before a full prototype is built. Their founder and CEO, Ewan Reid, highlights their decade-long involvement in 36 moon-related projects, including 30 related to rovers, culminating in this significant development. “After doing all this work and building up a portfolio of [intellectual property], relationships and engineering capacity, it made sense to evolve into a full rover provider,” Reid explained.
Designed for a 10-year lunar deployment, the rover will operate with minimal human intervention, emphasizing Mission Control’s AI expertise. They have two additional rover missions planned: a joint demonstration mission with Astrobotic and another undisclosed project. While the Astrobotic rover is compact, the Artemis rover will support a 3,500-kilogram payload. Only one company will ultimately build the rover, but Mission Control advocates for a multi-supplier model.