Canadian Space Agency cancels lunar rover mission
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on the part of 2026-2027 departmental planThe Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has canceled its ambitious plan lunar rover mission.
lunar rover was announced in 2022. It will be Canada’s first rover built by Canadensis, and will be riding to the Moon on a commercial launch vehicle built by a private American company, Firefly Aerospace.
The cancellation was first reported Space Industry Website SpaceQ.
The mission’s principal investigator, planetary geologist Gordon Osinski of Western University, said he found out about a month ago, and that he was “devastated” by the news.
He said, “This was going to be one of the most exciting missions in Canadian space history.” “We were going to send Canada’s first rover mission to the surface of another planetary body, which is something we’ve been trying to do for decades.”
The rover would have landed in the southern polar region of the Moon, a region that is of immense interest and importance to space exploration due to the presence of water. It is also the location of the future Artemis IV mission set to return humans to the lunar surface.
Artemis II, a mission that will fly four astronauts, including Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, around the Moon. Launch in early April.
Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen is headed to the Moon on the Artemis II mission. He sits down with CBC’s Nicole Mortillaro to talk about the physical, mental and collaborative parts of training to go to the farthest place humanity has ever visited.
“After our little rover exits the Firefly lander, we will conduct our own mission, which will be a first in history,” Osinski said. “Normally it’s the other way around: We’re contributing a small part to some other mission, like Mars rovers and other things. So yes, this was going to be pretty special.”
CSA responded
“The Canadian Space Agency is committed to deep space and lunar surface exploration and will ensure that Canada maximizes the value of the investment made to date in this project,” CSA told CBC News in an email.
The lunar rover was part of the CSA Lunar Exploration Accelerator Program (LEAP), which awards contracts to businesses for lunar missions.
“The lunar rover mission led to strong collaborations between academia and industry partners. The science team, composed of 50 scientists from Canada and abroad, will be able to continue their research during the term of their grant, giving them practical experience to help guide science decisions for future missions,” CSA said in an email.
“The knowledge and capabilities gained so far in robotics mobility can be used on other missions, such as lunar utility roverand serves commercialization objectives.”
CBC News contacted Canadensis, but did not hear back by the time of publication.
Osinski said he hopes the team’s work will continue in some way.
He said, “We actually built a whole science team around it. And I’m still very proud of that.” “We have achieved a lot.”
