{"id":415052,"date":"2022-03-12T00:11:28","date_gmt":"2022-03-11T21:11:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/california-startup-astrolab-unveils-space-rover\/"},"modified":"2022-03-12T00:11:28","modified_gmt":"2022-03-11T21:11:28","slug":"california-startup-astrolab-unveils-space-rover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/california-startup-astrolab-unveils-space-rover\/","title":{"rendered":"#California startup Astrolab unveils space rover"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a37e50b529e7\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a37e50b529e7\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/california-startup-astrolab-unveils-space-rover\/#%E2%80%9CCalifornia_startup_Astrolab_unveils_space_rover%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;California startup Astrolab unveils space rover&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CCalifornia_startup_Astrolab_unveils_space_rover%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;California startup Astrolab unveils space rover&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>LOS ANGELES \u2014\u00a0A Los Angeles-area startup founded by a veteran\u00a0spaceflight robotics engineer unveiled on Thursday its full-scale, working prototype for a next-generation lunar\u00a0rover\u00a0that is just as fast as NASA\u2019s old \u201cmoon buggy\u201d but is designed to do much\u00a0more.<\/p>\n<p>The company, Venturi\u00a0Astrolab\u00a0Inc, released photos and video showing its Flexible Logistics and Exploration (FLEX) vehicle riding over the rugged\u00a0California\u00a0desert near Death Valley National Park during a five-day field test in December.<\/p>\n<p>Astrolab\u00a0executives say the four-wheeled, car-sized FLEX\u00a0rover\u00a0is designed for use in NASA\u2019s Artemis program, aimed at returning humans to the moon as early as 2025 and establishing a long-term lunar colony as a precursor to sending astronauts to Mars.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/Rover-1.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"A handout image shows a prototype of California startup Astrolab's Flex lunar rover, that will be able to be operated directly by astronauts on the Moon or remotely by NASA's engineers on Earth, being tested in Death Valley National Park at the Dumont Dunes in December, 2021 and obtained by Reuters on March 10, 2022.\" class=\"wp-image-21500588\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/Rover-1.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/Rover-1.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/Rover-1.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Astrolab says the four-wheeled, car-sized FLEX rover aims to return humans to the moon as early as 2025 and establish a long-term lunar colony as a precursor to sending astronauts to Mars.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">ASTROLAB<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Unlike the Apollo-era moon buggies of the 1970s or the current generation of robotic Mars\u00a0rovers tailored for specialized tasks and experiments, FLEX is designed as an all-purpose vehicle that can be driven by astronauts or operated by remote control.<\/p>\n<p>Built around a modular payload system inspired by conventional containerized shipping, FLEX is versatile enough to be used for exploration, cargo delivery, site construction and other logistical work on the moon, the company says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor humanity to truly live and operate in a sustained way off Earth, there needs to exist an efficient and economical network all the way from the launch pad to the ultimate outpost,\u201d\u00a0Astrolab\u00a0founder and CEO Jaret Matthews said in a statement announcing the\u00a0rover\u2019s development.<\/p>\n<p>If NASA adopts FLEX and its modular payload platform for Artemis, it would become the first passenger-capable\u00a0rover\u00a0to ply the lunar surface since Apollo 17, the last of six original U.S. manned missions to the moon, in December 1972.<\/p>\n<p>Apollo 17\u2019s lunar roving vehicle set a moon speed record of 11 miles per hour (17.7 km\/h). FLEX can move just as swiftly.<\/p>\n<p>Apollo\u2019s astronauts found \u201cthey spent just as much time off the ground as on it at that speed, so it\u2019s kind of a practical limit for the moon,\u201d where gravity is one-sixth that of Earth, Matthews, a former\u00a0rover\u00a0engineer for NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>While Apollo LRVs carried up to two astronauts seated at its controls like a car, FLEX passengers \u2013 as many as two at a time \u2013 ride standing in the back, driving the vehicle with a joystick either astronaut can maneuver.<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0rover\u00a0itself, with the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roximate wheelbase of a Jeep, weighs just over 1,100 pounds but has a cargo capacity of 3,300 pounds, about the same as a light-duty pickup truck.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/Rover-2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"A handout image shows a prototype of California startup Astrolab 's Flex lunar rover, that will be able to be operated directly by astronauts on the Moon or remotely by NASA's engineers on Earth, being tested in Death Valley National Park at the Dumont Dunes in December, 2021 and obtained by Reuters on March 10, 2022. \" class=\"wp-image-21500589\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/Rover-2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/Rover-2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/Rover-2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>A prototype of Astrolab \u2018s Flex lunar rover that will be able to be operated directly by astronauts on the moon or remotely by NASA\u2019s engineers on Earth is tested in Death Valley National Park.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">ASTROLAB<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>With its solar-powered battery fully charged, the vehicle can run for eight hours with astronauts aboard and has sufficient energy capacity to survive the extreme cold of a lunar night, up to 300 hours in total darkness, at the moon\u2019s south pole, Matthews said.<\/p>\n<p>During the FLEX field test at the Dumont Dunes Off-Highway Recreation Area north of Baker,\u00a0California, adjacent to Death Valley, the\u00a0rover\u00a0was piloted by retired Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, who is an\u00a0Astrolab\u00a0advisory board member, and MIT aerospace\u00a0graduate student Michelle Lin.<\/p>\n<p>Video showed the pair dressed in mock\u00a0spacesuits riding on the vehicle over a sand dune and using it to transport and set up a large, vertical solar array.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was huge fun to drive the FLEX,\u201d Hadfield said in the video.\n                        <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/03\/11\/california-startup-astrolab-unveils-space-rover\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;California startup Astrolab unveils space rover&#8221; LOS ANGELES \u2014\u00a0A Los Angeles-area startup founded by a veteran\u00a0spaceflight robotics engineer unveiled on Thursday its full-scale, working prototype for a next-generation lunar\u00a0rover\u00a0that is just as fast as NASA\u2019s old \u201cmoon buggy\u201d but is designed to do much\u00a0more. The company, Venturi\u00a0Astrolab\u00a0Inc, released photos and video showing its Flexible Logistics&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":415053,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/Rover-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[126635,13096,5072,5025,5026,5019],"class_list":["post-415052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-3-11-22","tag-california","tag-mars","tag-moon","tag-nasa","tag-space"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=415052"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415052\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/415053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=415052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=415052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=415052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}