384 000 km
from earth
129.78°E
-89.67°S
Monaco, 18 November 2024 – Gildo Pastor, President of the Monegasque company Venturi Space, welcomed HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, the first person to have driven a rover on the Moon and Commander of the Apollo 15 mission General David Scott, and astronaut Jean-François Clervoy.
As a prelude to the lunar missions in which Venturi Space will participate in 2025 and 2026, its President, Gildo Pastor, invited Prince Albert II of Monaco and former astronauts David Scott and Jean-François Clervoy to learn more about the upcoming programme and the advanced technologies developed by Venturi Space’s European bases (Monaco, Switzerland, and France) as part of their collaboration with the North American strategic partner, Venturi Astrolab, Inc. This US-based entity is developing multi-purpose rovers optimised for the needs of the lunar South Pole: FLIP, which will become operational in 2025, and FLEX, scheduled for launch with SpaceX in 2026 at the earliest. FLEX is also one of three mobility solutions shortlisted by NASA for the Artemis V mission in 2030.
In the presence of Isabelle Berro-Amadeï, Minister for External Relations and Cooperation; Pierre-André Chiappori, Minister for Finance and the Economy; HE Maguy Maccario-Doyle, Monaco’s Ambassador to the United States of America; and Frédéric Genta, Interministerial Delegate for Attractiveness and Digital Transition, the visit consisted of four main stages:
‘Venturi Space is taking on a very serious challenge! The FLEX rover is very different from the one I drove, it’s much bigger and will have an enormous operating life. It seems to me that the teams are doing a good job, and I wish them good luck.’ – General David Scott.
‘I’m passionate about space exploration and wheeled vehicles. Welcoming the first person to have driven a rover on the Moon, in the presence of the Sovereign and Jean-François Clervoy, brings me immense pleasure’ – Gildo Pastor, President of Venturi Space.
Venturi Space, and Venturi Astrolab, Inc. (Astrolab) announced their collaboration to produce a lunar rover, designed to respond to the growing number of institutional, businesses and scientific organizations in the U.S. and European markets, that are seeking access to the Moon for smaller payloads.
Venturi Group presented its latest invention at the international Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, France: a hyper-deformable Lunar wheel. Venturi Lab designed and manufactured the wheel using materials it created. The Venturi wheel is a world first.
The American company SpaceX will be responsible for transporting the rover, which will be the largest and most capable in the history of lunar vehicles. SpaceX will use its Starship launch and landing system to transport the astromobile to the lunar surface.