Europe must be more stubborn to land on its first Rover on the moon

Europe is likely that it has just suffered a setback in its attempt to reach another teacher in the commercial race to use the moon’s resources. Tenacious, which was scheduled to become the first European Rover to make a landing on the surface of the moon, was on a ship that lost the connection while trying to land An error occurred.

If confirmed, this will be the second failed task for the Hakuto-R commercial satellite program, after two years A previous accident had already broke the hopes.

This loss will feel particularly in Japan; IspaceThe company is behind Hakuto-R currently lost Landker flexibility Who carried stubborn, is a Listed on the list Japanese company. But it is also a blow to Europe: the European Space Agency (ESA) Backed The task is designed, collected, tested and manufactured by ISPace-Europe from Luxembourg.

Luxembourg is not just an ISPace-Europe-it is the reason for creating the entity in 2017. As part of it Spacesources.lu The initiative has become the second small country in the world after the United States to adopt a law that gives companies the right to possess resources extracted from space.

Luxembourg close to Luxembourg managed to drive him on the moon, and Rover had seized the video and collected data. One of her tasks was the collection of lunar soil, which is called Reagole, as part of a Hold with NASAWhich was supposed to transfer the ownership of samples.

“I think this will be very useful to reduce what space resources marketing and how to do this on a wider scale, both in terms of size, global participation and coordination,” Julian Lamami, CEO of ISPace-Europe, CEO of ISPace-Europe told Techcrunch at the level of size, global participation and coordination. “

Winning such a contract from NASA was also the first for a European company. However, it took some persuasion to get a non -front to boast about a graceful team of 50 people of 30 nationalities that made these unique small Rover.

Despite the CV that includes the time in NASA’s jet laboratory, Lamami does not boast about it. In our conversation, he admitted that he had to “direct the internal America” ​​to explain his team’s achievements. But this is also because ISPace intentionally.

For example, a lightweight script that was aimed at collecting the Reagole was manufactured for NASA EPIROCA mining equipment equipment from Sweden. “We could do this ourselves. Instead, we saw the opportunity to involve the Earth’s industry to think about space,” Lamami said. “The more people participate, the better.”

More people participate in the Luxembourg space ecosystem as well. The Luxembourg Agency (LSA) was founded in 2018, and the country is actively supporting this sector, which has moved from its place to the main current since the adoption of the space resources law.

“Even better, there are many companies that are now created in the direction of the ISPace in the value chain,” Lamami said. Example an example Magna PetraStartup Partnership With ISPace on helium -3 mining, a rare resource, from the moon’s surface.

“Our ambition is to develop a very integrated space sector with our industries on Earth and opens new opportunities in the market, whether in space or on Earth.” He said in a comment When ISPace-Europe announced the completion of its Rover.

This ambition is nourished by money. Tenacil has been developed Luxury. The tax incentives or direct aid are available for startups and multinationals, according to DELOTTE research On the space industry in Luxembourg.

Unusual load

Tenacil is designed Sojourner Mars Rover. Lamami explained, by choosing effective energy efficient ingredients, and explained that his team is able to build a very small system cheaper in manufacturing and send it to the moon. Make this useful load limited by nature, but designed to reach one kilogram.

As part of the mission of flexibility, the Tenouacious Scoop of the NASA mission, and perhaps unexpectedly included a small red house. Known as the moonThis small sculpture was supposed to become a symbolic Swedish hut, the first house on the moon, a project that the artist Michael Genberg was following him Since 1999.

“It is not a matter of science or politics, it is about reminding us of what we all share – our humanity, our imagination, and our longing for the home.

The Lamami team was ready to be responsible for the successful drop and photography of the moon in a good place, and he took this role seriously. As part of the Rover Test that you conducted on the ground, both are on Test site in Luxembourg In Several European sitesIncluding the Canary Islands in Spain, operators had been trained in the procedure several times.

Although he is poet, this may seem less than NASA’s priority, but not for the front. “This is an interesting transformation; yes, we go to the moon to improve our knowledge of the moon from a scientific and commercial perspective, but we are also there to open access to artists, businessmen and teachers, and this is also a very exciting component of the task.”

Unfortunately, this will now have to wait.