Commonwealth_ In one of Toronto‘s malls, an hour or so north of downtown, sandwiched between a spa and shawarma shop, is a modest two-story building with blue-glass windows that glint in sunlight in summer. Low-key as it seems, it’s the headquarters of Canadensys Aerospace, a company leading Canada‘s next phase of space heritage with the manufacture of Canada’s first lunar rover.
The rover will be Canada’s first Canadian-led planetary exploration mission and the benchmark for Canada’s contributions to space innovation for generations to come. Inside and around the office of Canadensys, the mood is as ambitious as the mission. Maps and models and space pictures cover the walls, with anti-static-jacketed engineers working around the clock on very sophisticated equipment that can withstand the harsh conditions of the moon.
The second rover mission is more about going to the Moon and less about landing there. It is more about carrying out a dream of humanity expanding its reach away from Earth. The Moon, experts say, is the ideal stepping stone for missions between planets, the starting point for missions deeper into space. For Canada, it is the initial, and therefore inevitable, step in extending its reach and expertise into space beyond Earth orbit.
The rover is part of the NASA Artemis program, a long-term effort to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon. Canada’s rover is contributing to that bigger mission by searching for water, sampling radiation on the surface of the Moon, and putting its limits to surviving the extreme conditions of the south pole of the Moon. Most importantly, it will be subjected to a sequence of lunar nights, lasting for the period of 14 days on Earth. To succeed would be an enormous display of Canadian technology and determination in the space environment.
Canada has already acquired experience with outer space. The country is heavily invested in this field of activity, coming third in being able to put a satellite into orbit and developing the world-renowned Canadarm robot arms employed by the Space Shuttle and International Space Station. Canada has also produced some of the world’s most renowned astronauts, including Chris Hadfield and Jeremy Hansen, the latter of whom will orbit the Moon on board next year’s Artemis II mission. The rover perpetuates this heritage, solidifying Canada’s growing role in international space exploration.
The rover is roughly 35 kilograms and will be launched as early as 2029 as part of NASA’s mission to send robotic vehicles onto the surface of the Moon. It will head to the south pole of the Moon, one of the most hostile and extreme environments with its unpredictable temperatures and rocky surface. Canadensys also has several prototypes in the works currently, the latest rover constructed shortly prior to liftoff. All are tested to stringent standards to determine if they can withstand the harsh conditions of the Moon.
Temperature variation is one of the primary engineering difficulties. The lunar environment ranges from cold lows of -200°C at night to blazing highs of 100°C during the day. Withstanding those, but more so, the continuous variation in between, requires close focus on design and ingenuity.
Riding on the Moon’s surface is another huge challenge, as the surface is covered in a layer of regolith—hard, adhesive, and fine dust that has been formed by centuries of micrometeorite impacts. Unlike Earth’s round soil grains, lunar dust is knife-like and abrasive, adhering tenaciously to surfaces and posing challenges for mechanical operation. This has forced engineers to design wheels and mechanisms that will be functional in these environments without being adversely affected by the “Velvo-like” character of the regolith.
While the rover is yet to be officially named, the Canadian Space Agency has already conducted an online contest to get the public engaged in its selection, whose winner will be revealed in due course of time. This infuses a countrywide marvel and excitement into something that is all about Canadian ingenuity and ambition.
Last but not least, the rover is not just a technological accomplishment. It represents Canada’s aspiration to lead the world in space exploration and contribute to humanity’s efforts to extend our presence beyond Earth. Through its exploration of the south polar region of the Moon, where it is searching for radiation and water, the rover is gathering crucial data that will inform future human missions and potentially pave the way for a permanent human presence on the Moon’s surface.
Canada is going to make history from a modest structure in an out-of-the-way plaza not far from Toronto. Its first lunar rover is evidence of a nation boldly moving into the next frontier of exploration in outer space, pairing history with ambition in a push to be part of human forays into space.
