California-based Astrolab unveiled their Flexible Logistics and Exploration (FLEX) rover built to enhance lunar and planetary mobility, designed for NASA’s upcoming manned Artemis mission to the Moon. Unlike other rovers, FLEX boasts a novel mobility system architecture, enabling it to pick up and deposit modular payloads in support of robotic science, exploration, logistics, site survey/preparation, construction, resource utilization, as well as other activities critical to a sustained presence on the Moon and beyond.
The team successfully tested a full-scale, fully-functional terrestrial prototype of the FLEX rover in the California desert near Death Valley. These tests included both crewed and telerobotic operations, a deployment of a variety of large payloads, and engineering testing of its mobility performance in rugged terrain. Chris Hadfield, former NASA and Canadian Space Agency astronaut, engineer, also participated in the five-day field test.
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For humanity to truly live and operate in a sustained way off Earth, there needs to exist an efficient and economical network all the way from the launch pad to the ultimate outpost,” Jaret Matthews, Astrolab founder and CEO.
