SpaceX’s Starship will carry an SUV-sized rover to the Moon in 2026 | Engadget

Though its next-generation rocket has but to take off, that is not stopping SpaceX from reserving Starship flights. On Friday, a startup referred to as Astrolab not too long ago signed a cope with Elon Musk’s personal area agency to reserve area on the uncrewed Starship cargo mission, which may launch as early as mid-2026. “That is SpaceX’s first industrial cargo contract to the lunar floor,” Jareth Matthews, CEO of Astrolab, including that his firm was considered one of the few prospects collaborating in the flight.

Astrolab is constructing a car that it hopes will at some point transport tools, provides and folks throughout the floor of the moon. The FLEX (Versatile Logistics and Exploration) rover is about the dimension of a Jeep Wrangler, making it barely bigger than NASA’s Perseverance rover on Mars. It additionally has a robotic arm to help with cargo and might journey up to 25 miles per hour. And FLEX can carry up to two astronauts.
After touchdown on the moon, Astrolab says FLEX will be the largest rover to journey on the lunar floor. Matthews stated instances Astrolab already has prospects ready to use the rover to transport cargo throughout the 2026 Starship mission. Wanting to the future, Matthews stated FLEX may assist set up a everlasting human presence on the moon and past. “Finally, our aim is to have a fleet of rovers on each the Moon and Mars,” he stated. “And I really imagine that these automobiles will finally grow to be catalysts for the extraterrestrial economic system.”

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