Venturi announced the production of a new lunar rover and unveiled a prototype during the 75th International Astronautical Congress in Milan, Italy on 15 October 2024. The new rover is designed for smaller payloads on the moon, in response to a growing demand from institutions, businesses and scientific organizations in the U.S.A. and Europe.
Known currently by the name FLIP, the rover uses the same technology used by Venturi Astrolab’s FLEX rover, which was introduced in 2022 Just as with FLEX, Venturi Astrolab is responsible for the overall design and manufacturing of the rover. More specifically, the company has developed the vehicle’s actuators, chassis, launch mount and release, avionics, solar panel, communications system, flight and ground software.
As is also the case with FLEX, this new rover relies on three key technologies when it comes to facing the extreme conditions of the lunar South Pole: proprietary materials for cryogenic conditions and hyper-deformable wheels and batteries as well as the related testing systems and fabrication processes. These have been designed and developed by Venturi Space within its
facilities in Monaco, Switzerland, France, and the United States. Venturi Astrolab is leading and conducting the vehicle’s integrated testing and operations, from its headquarters in California. This rover is a key step in Venturi Astrolab’s rapid development approach for FLEX: design, build, test, fly. This approach demonstrates increased capabilities and incorporates lessons learned during development and testing.
The FLIP lunar rover prototype was unveiled at Venturi Space’s exhibition booth during the Congress and represents a collaboration between Venturi Space and Venturi Astrolab. Venturi Space invents, studies, designs and manufactures mobility solutions capable of handling the extreme environmental conditions found on the Moon and Mars, while Venturi Astrolab is the
designer, manufacturer and operator of multi-purpose rovers for the Moon and Mars.
