LUVMI-M rover books Blue Moon ride for 2029 lunar resource mission

(SpaceEnergy) Space Applications Services has secured a place for its LUVMI-M rover aboard Blue Origin’s Blue Moon MK1 lander for a 2029 mission to prospect for resources near the lunar south pole.

The Belgian company said LUVMI-M is scheduled to investigate lunar volatiles including water ice and helium-3, characterise regolith, record seismic activity and study plasma and dust interactions after delivery to the surface.

The rover is being designed and built near Brussels with support from the European Union, Belgian Science Policy Office and European Space Agency. Space Applications Services plans to operate it from its control centre in Belgium.

The company describes LUVMI-M as a commercial lunar mobility service able to host customer instruments and technology demonstrations. Its broader LUVMI programme is intended to support resource prospecting and other lunar surface activities, with further missions planned every two years using rovers with varying autonomy and robotic capabilities.

Chief executive Richard Aked said the mission would pioneer commercial lunar surface data collection and private exploration, adding that the company had selected Blue Origin as its lunar transportation partner.

The announcement represents a change from earlier LUVMI-M planning documents that identified other US lunar transportation arrangements and earlier target dates. Space Applications Services now says the rover is scheduled to travel to the lunar south pole aboard Blue Moon MK1 in early 2029.