The Government of Canada announced this today canadensys aerospace has been awarded a contract to design and build Canada’s first lunar rover, which will be sent to the moon’s south polar region starting in 2026.
western planetary geologist Gordon “Oz” Osinsky will serve as principal investigator and scientific leader of the project. His job will be to coordinate the science team, develop the overall scientific plan for the mission, collaborate with the various institutions to complete the development of their instruments and analyze satellite data from the moon to identify possible landing sites .
Gordon “Oz” Osinsky
“Honestly, I’m overwhelmed and haven’t realized it yet,” said Osinski, a earth science teacher. “It’s a cliché, but I really feel like this is the pinnacle of everything I’ve worked on during my college career. It’s very, very exciting.
started under Canadian Space Agency Lunar Exploration Accelerator Program (LEAP)The lunar rover will demonstrate key technologies for future lunar exploration activities and has scientific objectives in geology, shadow regions and volatile matter, as well as life sciences and astronaut health.
“This is a great opportunity for me, but also a great opportunity for Western,” Osinski said. “In the coming years, many students, faculty and staff will play a part in this historic mission as we land Canada and the West on the moon.”
Osinski’s main area of research focuses on understanding impact craters as a planetary geological process, on Earth, the Moon and Mars. Principal Investigator of the Canadian Lunar Research Network and Founder and President of the Geological Association of Canada’s Division of Planetary Sciences. He also studies economic geology, Precambrian geology and comparative studies of periglacial and glacial processes in the Canadian Arctic and on Mars.
Renowned international team
The 30 kg lunar rover will carry several scientific payloads from Canada and the United States.
Canadensys Aerospace, one of Canada’s most innovative space systems companies, leads a broad team of partners including Western, NASA Ames Research Center, NGC Aerospace, Maya Heat Transfer Technologies, Nokia, Bubble Technology Industries, Waves in Space, Simon Fraser University, University of Winnipeg , University of Sherbrooke, Leap Biosystems, Surrey Satellite Technology and RF Collins. The team’s research scientists are among the leading lunar researchers in Canada and the United States and are affiliated with the core team organizations, as well as Arizona State University, the Planetary Science Institute and the University of Alberta.
“Canadensys and our team members have spent the past decade developing many key lunar rover component technologies. This contract is a testament to that hard work and we are honored to have been given this extraordinary opportunity to bring a renowned international team to the moon,” said Christian Sallaberger, President and CEO of Canadensys.
