Lunar Outpost today announced that its Australian subsidiary, Lunar Outpost Oceania, will lead the charge in building Australia’s first lunar rover. The project was awarded to the ELO2 Consortium, co-led by Lunar Outpost Oceania and EPE Oceania.
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Lunar Outpost and ELO₂ Rover Fleet (Photo: Business Wire)
After an 18-month preliminary design period, the ELO2 Consortium has been selected to design, construct, and operate the Australian-made rover on the lunar surface. The project is funded by the Australian Government through the Australian Space Agency, representing a critical step forward for Australia’s role in the international space community.
The rover, named “Roo-ver” by the Australian public, represents a significant milestone for Lunar Outpost Oceania. Headquartered in Melbourne, Lunar Outpost Oceania is part of Lunar Outpost’s global expansion efforts to foster international collaboration in pursuit of a sustainable human presence in space. The Oceania team has driven the development of four rover prototypes each proving out a critical architectural decision in just 15 months, demonstrating technical expertise and leadership in delivering highly capable, reliable, cost-effective lunar surface mobility solutions.
“This award is a testament to the incredible work of our team in Australia,” said Joseph Kenrick, Program Manager of Lunar Outpost Oceania. “It showcases not only the collaborative potential of the ELO2 Consortium but also Australia’s strengths in autonomous systems and remote operations dating back to the Apollo era. This isn’t just a mission for the Moon; it’s a mission to build Australia’s presence in space.”
As the company’s fourth contracted lunar mission, it strengthens Lunar Outpost’s planetary mobility leadership. Each mission will provide critical insights and learnings that will guide scalable future endeavors, including Lunar Outpost’s Lunar Terrain Vehicle program for NASA leading towards a safe, highly capable, resilient Space Truck which will be responsible for establishing large scale infrastructure, setting the stage for a sustainable human presence in space.
“Lunar Outpost is pushing the boundaries of space exploration and revolutionizing surface mobility on the Moon and Mars,” said Justin Cyrus, CEO of Lunar Outpost. “In this new era of space, bolstered by global collaboration, we are proud to play a pivotal role – advancing our vision through international partnerships, supporting diverse missions, and growing our capabilities globally. We are looking forward to working with the Australian Space Agency, NASA and our partners on this historic lunar mission.”
About Lunar Outpost
Lunar Outpost is the industry leader in space robotics, planetary mobility, and space resources. We are on a mission to enable an extended human presence in space and harness the vast resources in space to drive positive impact on Earth. With multiple rovers headed to the Moon for exploration and infrastructure development, and technologies creating oxygen on Mars, our impact spans the solar system. Lunar Outpost’s mobility and robotic systems, from the exploration-class Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform (MAPP) rover to Lunar Outpost Eagle, our truck-sized industrial Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV), are set to power the New Space economy. Through innovation and key partnerships, Lunar Outpost delivers value to humanity, both in space and on Earth.
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About Lunar Outpost Oceania
Lunar Outpost Oceania, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lunar Outpost Inc., co-leads the ELO2 Consortium alongside EPE Oceania. Lunar Outpost is a pioneer in lunar mobility and robotics, providing advanced solutions to enable a sustainable future in space. From its Melbourne base, Lunar Outpost Oceania is driving the growth of Australia’s space capabilities and inspiring the next generation of space explorers.
About the ELO2 Consortium
- ELO2 is an Australian industry-research collaboration co-led by EPE Oceania and Lunar Outpost Oceania.
- The ELO2 Consortium brings specialised capabilities from across Australia to design, build and operate an Australian lunar rover on the Moon.
- As a national mission, all Australia’s states and territories will provide contributions to the success of ELO2 and the development and operation of Roo-ver.
- The ELO2 Consortium lunar rovers are certified Australian made, and have been entirely designed, manufactured, and tested in Australia.
- For more information and to register interest for employment and internship opportunities visit http://www.elo2.au/
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