Monaco-based Venturi Space, in partnership with Astrolab, revealed a new all-European lunar rover concept named Mona Luna at the Paris Air Show on June 16. The company aims to offer this larger, robust rover design to the European Space Agency (ESA), the French space agency CNES, and potential commercial customers.
Mona Luna measures 2.5 meters long, 1.64 meters wide, and weighs 750 kilograms. It is engineered as an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) capable of handling the moon’s challenging slopes and loose soil while enduring the harsh thermal conditions of the lunar day-night cycle. The rover features advanced suspension and steering systems housed centrally to optimize thermal management and stability.
Designed to travel at speeds up to 20 kilometers per hour, Mona Luna addresses a critical gap in European lunar exploration capabilities. According to Antonio Delfino, Venturi Space’s Director of Space Affairs, “In Europe at the moment there is no program to explore the moon with a rover… a rover is missing, so we are pushing very hard to convince them this is important.” The rover is planned to be deployed via ESA’s Argonaut lander, launching aboard an Ariane 64 rocket.
Mona Luna incorporates European-developed battery technology and innovative “hyper-deformable” wheels, which Venturi is also supplying to Astrolab’s lunar rovers, including those developed for NASA’s Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) program. To ensure compliance and security, Venturi maintains a strict separation between its work on Mona Luna and Astrolab projects.
Venturi has already received some ESA support for essential rover technologies and aims to secure further funding at ESA’s ministerial conference in late November, where member states will allocate resources for the agency’s upcoming programs. Delfino suggested that a public-private partnership model, similar to NASA’s approach with the LTV program, could facilitate development costs, a concept positively received by ESA leadership.
Private industry interest has also been expressed, with potential customers both inside and outside Europe showing enthusiasm for the rover’s capabilities and European provenance.
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