Tag Archives: avionics

Sci-Tech

New Moon Rover Readies For 2030 Launch

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VENTURI SPACE PRESENTS MONA LUNA, 
THE EUROPEAN LUNAR ROVERMONA LUNA, designed by Sacha Lakic

Paris Air Show, Le Bourget, June 2025 – Venturi Space unveils MONA LUNA, its 100% European-built lunar rover. Designed to support the ambitions of the European Space Agency and the French CNES, the vehicle will be built at Venturi Space France’s facility in Toulouse. The ultimate aim is to provide Europe with a lunar-capable rover by 2030.

European autonomy in lunar mobility is a major strategic challenge. Venturi Space is helping to make that a reality with MONA LUNA, its upcoming lunar rover designed to meet the needs of ESA and national European space agencies. The vehicle will further Europe’s efforts to achieve technological independence in the field of lunar mobility, enabling it to get ahead of the industrial curve and achieve its space ambitions.

A project led by Venturi Space France 
Venturi Space France will oversee MONA LUNA’s development and space qualification from its base in Toulouse, coordinating every aspect of the process: onboard electronics, avionics, space-to-ground links, energy management systems, assembly, final integration, and acceptance testing in readiness for space flight. All with one clear objective: to deploy MONA LUNA at the Moon’s South Pole by 2030.

Backed by the ESA and CNES
The European Space Agency is supporting Venturi Space’s efforts to design and develop the critical technologies required for a large lunar rover, capable of surviving multiple lunar nights. ESA’s support validates Venturi Space’s approach and highlights its expertise. The project will draw on the experience acquired from the programmes to develop the FLIP and FLEX rovers under a strategic partnership with US-based company Venturi Astrolab, Inc. Venturi Space is currently designing and building the hyper-deformable wheels that will be fitted to those vehicles, along with the associated electrical systems (in Switzerland) and high-performance batteries (in Monaco).

Using technology made in Europe
MONA LUNA is designed to be carried into space by the Ariane 6.4 launch system and landed on the Moon’s surface by the European Argonaut lunar lander, while the rover itself will be equipped with a robotic arm to handle scientific instruments and payloads. It will be:
– electrically powered, recharging via solar panels,
– designed to move autonomously,
– equipped with three high-performance batteries,
– capable of carrying a wide range of payloads,
– designed to survive multiple lunar nights,
– capable of a top speed of 20 km/h,
– designed to weigh a total of 750 kg.

The rover could also be used in an emergency to carry an astronaut in difficulty, as envisaged by the ESA and CNES in their feasibility studies.
A clear commercial purpose
MONA LUNA’s maiden mission will focus on purely scientific applications, but future deployments could be organized to meet demand from the European private sector for a variety of purposes, including carrying payloads to the South Pole, exploiting lunar resources (such as helium-3) in situ, or even public outreach campaigns. This approach will help establish a sustainable long-term economic model for the rover, in much the same way as the early development of terrestrial mobility.


Gildo Pastor, President of Venturi Space:
“I’m still an explorer, first and foremost. Space is a new frontier, and MONA LUNA is how we are actually going to broach it. Alongside Europe, we aim to build an autonomous lunar exploration capability to meet the scientific, economic, and strategic challenges of tomorrow.”

Dr. Antonio Delfino, Director of Space Affairs at Venturi Space:
“Our primary focus is to make ourselves fully available to the ESA and European national space agencies. With MONA LUNA, we aim to deliver major technological breakthroughs that will pave the way for extended lunar mobility.”

For The Silo, Jarrod Barker.

Sci-Tech

Virgin Galactic Completes New Spaceship Manufacturing Facility

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Orange County, Calif. – Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SPCE) (“Virgin Galactic” or the “Company”) recently announced the completion of its new manufacturing facility in Mesa, Arizona (Greater Phoenix area), where final assembly of its next-generation Delta spaceships is scheduled to take place starting in Q1 2025.

An initial team of Virgin Galactic technical operations and manufacturing personnel has begun preparing the facility to receive and install tooling, expected to arrive in Q4 2024. The facility will then begin to receive major subassemblies, including the wing, the fuselage, and the feathering system next year, as the team scales to build the first two ships of the Delta fleet. Once ground testing is complete, Virgin Galactic’s mothership will ferry completed spaceships to Spaceport America, New Mexico for flight test ahead of commercial operations, which are expected to begin in 2026.

The multiuse facility includes two hangars equipped with multiple bays, designed for maximum flexibility in building and testing space vehicles.

Work at the facility will be supported by the Company’s digital twin technology, which enables seamless integration between Virgin Galactic and suppliers through real-time collaboration, promoting strong governance and increased efficiency and reliability.

In May 2024, Virgin Galactic opened a ground testing facility in Southern California for Delta subsystems, including avionics, feather actuation, pneumatics, and hydraulics, using an Iron Bird test rig.

Design concept- Virgin Galactic’s MACH 3 Supersonic commercial passenger jet – a partnership with Rolls Royce (Concorde engines) could mean this design stands a real chance of being produced as well in the future.

Virgin Galactic’s Delta spaceships will seat up to six private passengers, and each is expected to be capable of flying up to eight missions per month, dramatically increasing access to space.

“The completion of our new manufacturing facility is an important milestone in the development of our fleet of next-generation spaceships, the key to our scale and profitability. Tooling will begin arriving in a matter of months to support spaceship final assembly, which we expect to commence in Q1 2025.”

Michael Colglazier • CEO of Virgin Galactic