Competition to name rover all over. Roo-ver it is

On the day one of the two teams competing to build Australia’s first lunar rover has unveiled their prototype design, the name of the eventual winner’s vehicle has been announced as Roo-ver.

The Australian Space Agency made an invitation to individuals and schools to submit their naming suggestions in September. A shortlist of four names was put to a public vote on November 20. The Agency announced the winner on Wednesday morning.

The ABC reports that over 8,000 submissions for a name were received, with Roo-ver receiving 36 per cent of nearly 20,000 votes for the final four choices.

The other options were Coolamon, Kakirra, and Mateship.

The competition to eventually build Roo-ver is between two teams: the AROSE and ELO2 consortia.

Each was awarded $4 million in March for Stage One of the Trailblazer program. The winner will design and develop a vehicle in Stage Two, with Roo-ver to head to the moon as soon as 2026.

Meanwhile, ELO2 – led by EPE and Lunar Outpost Oceania – has unveiled a prototype of their vehicle (pictured below.).

“This unveiling marks the beginning of an exciting journey and invites every Australian to be part of our nation’s cosmic endeavours,” said ELO2 Technical Director with Lunar Outpost Oceania Joseph Kenrick in a statement on Wednesday.

Picture: credit ELO2

The eventual winning rover will be tasked with transporting lunar regolith (Moon soil) to a NASA-run facility for the extraction of oxygen.

Main picture: credit Australian Space Agency

Further reading

ELO2 to unveil its moon rover candidate today

AROSE lunar rover to test Australian technology capabilities

Australians invited to name upcoming locally-made lunar rover

AROSE and EPE to design lunar rovers following grant awards