Venturi Space has debuted the MONA LUNA, its 100% European-built lunar rover, at this week’s Paris Air Show. Designed to support the ambitions of the European Space Agency and the French CNES, the vehicle will be built at Venturi Space France’s facility in Toulouse. The ultimate aim is to provide Europe with a lunar-capable rover by 2030.
European autonomy in lunar mobility is a major strategic challenge. Venturi Space is helping to make that a reality with MONA LUNA. The vehicle will further Europe’s efforts to achieve technological independence in the field of lunar mobility, enabling it to get ahead of the industrial curve and achieve its space ambitions.
Venturi Space France will oversee MONA LUNA’s development and space qualification from its base in Toulouse, coordinating every aspect of the process: onboard electronics, avionics, space-to-ground links, energy management systems, assembly, final integration, and acceptance testing in readiness for space flight. All with one clear objective: to deploy MONA LUNA at the Moon’s South Pole by 2030.
“Our primary focus is to make ourselves fully available to the ESA and European national space agencies,” said Venturi Space Director of Space Affairs Antonio Delfino. “With MONA LUNA, we aim to deliver major technological breakthroughs that will pave the way for extended lunar mobility.”
The European Space Agency is supporting Venturi Space’s efforts to design and develop the critical technologies required for a large lunar rover capable of surviving multiple lunar nights. ESA’s support validates Venturi Space’s approach and highlights its expertise.
The project will draw on the experience acquired from the programs to develop the FLIP and FLEX rovers under a strategic partnership with US-based company Venturi Astrolab. Venturi Space is currently designing and building the hyper-deformable wheels that will be fitted to those vehicles, along with the associated electrical systems (in Switzerland) and high-performance batteries (in Monaco).
MONA LUNA is designed to be carried into space by the Ariane 6.4 launch system and landed on the Moon’s surface by the European Argonaut lunar lander, while the rover itself will be equipped with a robotic arm to handle scientific instruments and payloads. It will be:
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Electrically powered, recharging via solar panels;
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Designed to move autonomously;
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Equipped with three high-performance batteries;
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Capable of carrying a wide range of payloads;
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Designed to survive multiple lunar nights;
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Capable of a top speed of 20 kilometres per hour; and
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Designed to weigh a total of 750 kilograms.
The rover could also be used in an emergency to carry an astronaut in difficulty, as envisaged by the ESA and CNES in their feasibility studies.
MONA LUNA’s maiden mission will focus on purely scientific applications, but future deployments could be organised to meet demand from the European private sector for a variety of purposes, including carrying payloads to the South Pole, exploiting lunar resources (such as helium-3) in situ, or even public outreach campaigns. This approach will help establish a sustainable long-term economic model for the rover in much the same way as the early development of terrestrial mobility.
“Space is a new frontier, and MONA LUNA is how we are actually going to broach it,” said Venturi Space President Gildo Pastor. “Alongside Europe, we aim to build an autonomous lunar exploration capability to meet the scientific, economic, and strategic challenges of tomorrow.”
