Contents
The Venturi-Lab company is developing parts for a spacecraft that will fly to the moon in 2026 on a SpaceX rocket.
Entrepreneur Elon Musk wants to conquer space with his space company SpaceX. He is planning an unmanned moon mission for 2026. And: Swiss technology will also be on board.
The lunar vehicle Flex-Rover is currently being developed near Freiburg. Goal: To build a fast vehicle that can withstand the stresses of space.
Extreme conditions require new materials
Extreme environmental conditions prevail on the moon. First of all, the climate: temperatures vary between minus 200 and plus 100 degrees Celsius. The missing atmosphere and the cosmic radiation put additional demands on the flex rover.
1 / 2
Legend: Engineered in Switzerland, these wheels withstand extreme temperatures… zvg/Venturi-Lab
2 / 2
Legend: … as well as extreme solar and cosmic radiation. zvg/Venturi Lab
Rubber tires or oil dampers used on Earth would not work under such conditions. That is why Venturi-Lab is developing alternatives.
The solar panels for the rover also come from Switzerland. The Flex Rover is intended to transport goods and people on the moon for several years without requiring any maintenance.
Speed record as an additional challenge
Another goal: the lunar vehicle with Swiss technology should not only transport goods and people reliably, but also as quickly as possible back and forth on the moon.
One day, the Flex Rover will travel across the moon’s surface at speeds of up to 20 km/h. What sounds like little is revolutionary. For comparison: Current lunar vehicles travel only a few meters per hour.
Legend: The Flex Rover should also be able to carry out remote-controlled tasks. For example, collecting rock samples. zvg/Venturi Lab
Co-founder Antonio Delfino came up with the idea for the fast lunar vehicle in a conversation with an entrepreneur friend of his. His company Venturi Monaco has already set several speed records with electric vehicles.
“So why not set a speed record on the moon,” thought Delfino and founded Venturi Lab.
Engineered in Switzerland, built in California
There are no production halls in Freiburg and this will remain so in the future. A laboratory in which lunar conditions can be simulated is still under construction. The production of the flex rover later takes place in California at the sister company Venturi Astrolab.
1 / 3
Legend: In Freiburg, the main focus is on development. For example wheels… SRF/Oliver Kempa
2 / 3
Legend: …or electronic components. SRF/Oliver Kempa
3 / 3
Legend: The two co-founders Antonio Delfino (left) and David Olsommer with the prototype of a Flex Rover wheel SRF/Oliver Kempa
But what does research on a space vehicle bring to society? “A lot,” says Antonio Delfino: “The materials that we are developing now may be used by industry in a few years.”
Without space exploration, there would be no computers or GPS navigation today
The Flex Rover itself could also play an important role one day. In the future, the moon could be used as a supplier of raw materials, for example for rare earths. In this case, tasks such as transport could be taken over by the lunar vehicle from Switzerland.
But that’s still a long way off: “Our first priority now is to complete the lunar vehicle and fly to the moon with SpaceX in 2026,” says Antonio Delfino.