![]() the 1087-piece set marks the the 50th anniversary of the 1969 mission, and features apollo 11’s eagle lunar module in both its descent and ascent stages. Times staff photographer Genaro Molina contributed to this report.LEGO has collaborated with NASA to release a detailed replica of the apollo 11’s lunar module. It wasn’t perfect, but it was quite evocative of what it’s going to feel like, and obviously what it felt like for the 12 guys that walked on the moon.” “There was nothing in our field of view that was human,” Hadfield said. As they drove, the team chasing them faded away, and the test suddenly became “very realistic.” The company’s moonshot has taken the pilot rover from its base in Hawthorne to Death Valley, where Hadfield, the Canadian astronaut, tested whether it could be operated successfully in a rugged landscape.Ĭlad in a bulky spacesuit mock-up, he and a partner stood on a platform at the controls on the back of the rover, as if they were ready to operate a much bulkier, four-wheeled Segway. Matthews would not discuss the company’s investors or finances, citing Astrolab’s status as a privately held firm, but said he thinks the rover will be competitive for a number of commercial and civil opportunities. “But it’s so early in the process that we don’t know which direction is going to be most realistic.”Īstrolab is not betting solely on government contracts for its business case. “In the future, as we start to get more comfortable with lunar exploration, it could really open up,” Forczyk said. ![]() But if technology matures and the market proves itself, it could expand beyond government exploration to construction, mining of resources, lunar infrastructure or even tourism. “The more we can do robotically … the better.”Īt least at first, the lunar market will be limited to government contracts, said Laura Forczyk, owner of space consulting firm Astralytical. “Astronaut time is the most precious time in the world,” he said. The company is aiming to get a rover onto the moon before astronauts arrive so it could set up ahead of time. Matthews said Astrolab’s rover is different from other rovers in development because astronaut transportation is only one part of its job. “What I love about rovers is they’re an extension of humanity - our ambassadors in the solar system,” he said. Matthews spent 10 years at NASA’s JPL working on Mars rovers before moving to SpaceX and developing the system that allows the Crew Dragon astronaut-carrying capsule to dock with the International Space Station. The company wants to build a fleet of rovers eventually. He said the rover can carry twice the capacity of a Ford F-150 truck bed. ![]() On Wednesday afternoon in Hawthorne, Matthews demonstrated how the rover is able to roll over rocks, maneuver sideways and spin around and pick up and carry loads. “We want to be the UPS or FedEx of the moon,” Matthews said. ![]() Unlike other rovers, which are often designed for a specific exploratory purpose, Astrolab’s Flexible Logistics and Exploration rover is intended to be more versatile, said Jaret Matthews, company founder and chief executive. The 15-person company is currently testing a prototype vehicle. Founded in 2019 by former NASA employees, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and SpaceX, Astrolab is building a rover capable of completing tasks such as construction, transporting supplies to build a lunar base, research and exploration, as well as ferrying astronauts around the moon’s surface. ![]()
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