Australia has committed to develop a 20-kilogram (44-pound) semi-autonomous lunar rover for NASA, which will travel to the moon in quest of oxygen as soon as 2026.
According to a government’s press release, the rover would gather dirt that contained oxides, and NASA would extract oxygen from that soil using different equipment. Oxygen recovered from the lunar surface would eventually be utilised to support future expeditions to Mars and to sustain a human presence on the moon.
Anthony Murfett, deputy head of the Australian Space Agency, said NASA was pleased by the technology used to remotely manage massive dump trucks transporting iron ore from mines in northwest Australia from a distance of 1,600 kilometres (1,000 miles).
