Toronto 
A made-in-Canada lunar rover will land on the moon in a few years, François-Philippe Champagne, minister of innovation, science and industry, announced yesterday while awarding a $43M contract to Canadensys Aerospace Corporation (Canadensys).
Credit: Canadensys Aerospace Corporation
The Bolton, Ontario company will build the first Canadian lunar rover that will help in the international search for water ice in the lunar soil, a key component for the future of human space exploration.
The rover will be built as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative and would land in the south polar region of the Moon as early as 2026.
As per the news release, the rover will carry six scientific payloads – five Canadian and one American.
François-Philippe Champagne said in a statement, “Designing a rover that can withstand the harsh lunar environment is extremely complex, but today is proof that Canada’s space industry thrives on challenges and is ready to exceed expectations.”
The 4-wheel drive rover with a total weight of 30 kg will be designed and built to have the ability to drive and operate through lunar polar regions that never receive direct sunlight, survive the long lunar nights which can last up to 14 Earth days with a temperature variation of −170 °C to less than −200 °C, all while gathering imagery, measurements, and analyzing the lunar soil.
Canada will set wheels on the Moon! The very first Canadian rover will help in the international search for water ice in the lunar soil. 🇨🇦
Learn more: https://t.co/b8R8bJlxLQ
Video: CSA, NASA pic.twitter.com/xBogDznHhY
— Canadian Space Agency (@csa_asc) November 14, 2022
According to the Canadian Space Agency website, rover operations will be performed in Canada and data gathered by the rover’s scientific payloads will be shared with American scientists.
