Grant: Alliance Grants

The first Canadian lunar rover (CLR) is expected to land on the lunar surface as early as 2026. The rover will carry five payloads that will be used to characterize the lunar surface and space environment in the south polar region. The objectives of the CLR are to: travel on the surface of the Moon to see how the various systems perform; showcase the possible applications, feasibility and performance of new technologies; make scientific measurements that will help determine the amount of hydrogen (or water) present in the lunar soil, while defining at which temperatures it is detected; analyze the lunar soil to better understand the geology of the site; and assess lunar surface radiation to find out how much radiation future astronauts will be exposed to. The proposed work covers the phases related to the development, building, and testing of scientific instruments to be hosted on the rover. Activities include landing site characterization, reflectance model development and validation as well as software tools development in preparation for the surface mission activities. The science that the rover will achieve is of the utmost importance for lunar exploration; it will help in the international search for water ice, a key component needed for the future of human space exploration. The current research project will also allow to train highly qualified personnel in remote sensing and space exploration that will be beneficial for the successful deployment of the mission.