In the Gare neighbourhood of Luxembourg City, the European subsidiary of the Japanese company ispace is developing a mini-robot designed for lunar exploration.
This mini-robot, the size of a beer crate, currently navigates through a large sandbox filled with coarse sand, simulating the lunar surface. It is a prototype of the rover set to journey to the Moon early next year.
The mission aims to prove that a private company can successfully develop and deploy such a vehicle. The rover is designed to carry up to one kilogramme of payload to the Moon and recover lunar material. ispace Europe also serves private customers.
"One customer wants us to take a piece of equipment to the Moon and photograph it," explains Julien-Alexandre Lamamy, ispace's Managing Director. Another customer, NASA, has commissioned the rover to sample lunar soil for $5,000.
However, the focus for ispace is not on the financial aspect but on the rover itself. Weighing five kilogrammes, the robot needs to be extremely light and energy-efficient. Powered by solar energy, its mission duration is limited to half a lunar day, equivalent to two Earth weeks.
"We will have up to 14 Earth days of sunlight. Once it gets dark, it will be so cold that we won't make it through the night," says robotics engineer Philippe Ludivig. At night, temperatures can drop to minus 200 degrees Celsius on the Moon. The team will have 14 Earth days to conduct their mission before the extreme cold sets in. While survival through the long lunar night would be ideal, ispace's primary goal is to complete the mission within the available sunlight period.
Before the miniature robot can begin its lunar mission, it must first reach the Moon. In August, it will be sent to Tokyo for integration into a Japanese rocket. From there, it will travel to Florida, where a SpaceX rocket will carry it into space.
"Normally, you can reach the Moon in a fortnight, but that consumes a lot of energy," explains Julien-Alexandre Lamamy, ispace's Managing Director. Instead, the company has chosen a more energy-efficient, ecological option that will take four months.
The Japanese company, which also has a presence in the United States, has been operating in Luxembourg for seven years. Minister of the Economy Lex Delles highlighted Luxembourg's developing space ecosystem, emphasising that this is a commercial venture rather than a state effort to "occupy the Moon."
The mission has broader implications. The Moon contains various materials that can be used to produce hydrogen, potentially enabling satellite recharging. ispace's CEO envisions a future lunar base for astronauts, utilising local resources.
The Luxembourg government supports European Space Agency (ESA) projects with an annual budget of €60 to €70 million. Through the LuxImpulse programme, Luxembourg invests €20 to €40 million annually in local projects. The ispace project has received €3.7 million in support.
© Diana Hoffmann
ispace employs 314 people, including over 40 in Luxembourg. This is not their first attempt to send a robot to the Moon. A previous attempt in April failed when the connection was lost during the lunar landing.
Full report by RTL Télé (in Luxembourgish and French)
