NASA has selected US company Venturi Astrolab, Inc. as one of two providers of a crewed lunar rover for the Artemis campaign, as the agency moves to establish sustained surface mobility at the lunar South Pole.
The vehicle, known as the Crewed Lunar Vehicle (CLV-1), is based on Astrolab’s FLEX rover architecture and is intended to transport astronauts and supplies, with the ability to conduct some surface operations remotely. Under the task order announced by NASA, Astrolab and its teammates will develop and deliver CLV-1 and related services to support crewed and robotic surface missions. NASA anticipates the rovers funded by the awards will reach the Moon by 2028.
Venturi Space, described as a strategic partner of Astrolab, said it will supply three subsystems for CLV-1: wheels, batteries and a battery management system.
Hyper-deformable wheels
Venturi Space said the wheels are designed to operate in lunar South Pole conditions, with an architecture intended to absorb surface irregularities, limit sinkage and maintain traction on slopes, across temperatures ranging from –240°C to +130°C.
High-performance batteries
The company said the batteries are designed and assembled to support power supply in harsh conditions, including thermal regulation and maintaining energy availability during inactive periods such as lunar nights, which can last up to the equivalent of fourteen Earth days.
Battery management system
Venturi Space said the battery management system will monitor cell state, balance cells and support safety and performance during thermal cycles, driving and extended standby periods.
In a statement, Gildo Pastor, President of Venturi Space, said: “I would like to congratulate our strategic partner Astrolab on securing this historic contract. Jaret Matthews has created, in record time, an agile, compact and efficient company that embodies a new generation of space exploration players. This selection also confirms the value of the technologies developed by Venturi Space. I am particularly proud of this, and equally proud of the work accomplished by our teams in France, Switzerland and Monaco.”
Dr. Antonio Delfino, Director of Space Affairs at Venturi Space, said: “Mobility is an essential condition for the sustainable exploration of the Moon. The prospect of seeing a crewed lunar rover equipped with our technologies accompany NASA astronauts represents a key milestone in Venturi Space’s trajectory. In six years, thanks to the trust of our strategic partner Astrolab and the impetus of our President Gildo Pastor, we have developed breakthrough technologies for one of the most hostile environments ever explored: the lunar South Pole.”
Jaret Matthews, Founder and CEO of Astrolab, said: “Gildo Pastor’s vision and commitment have been important to Astrolab’s collaboration with Venturi Space from the beginning. The Venturi Space team’s work on wheels, batteries and battery management systems has contributed meaningfully to our rover development, and we value their partnership as we continue developing CLV-1 to support NASA’s Artemis campaign.”
Venturi Space said technologies used on CLV-1 are based on the same foundation as those planned for MONA LUNA, which it described as its European lunar rover programme, with a first mission expected around 2030.
