Competition to name Australia’s lunar rover

Australians have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to name an Aussie-built rover that will go to the Moon.

5 September 2023

News

min read

Science, technology and innovation

Space and astronomy

Australian Space Agency

Australia, we’re going to the Moon. The Australian Space Agency wants to bring the nation on its boldest adventure yet.

You have the chance to be part of history, with the opportunity to name Australia’s lunar rover.

Trailblazer program

The Australian Space Agency, in partnership with NASA, is working with Australia’s space industry to design and build an Australian-made rover. It’s part of the Trailblazer program under the Moon to Mars initiative.

Drawing on Australia’s world-leading remote operations expertise, the rover will collect lunar soil, known as regolith. NASA will attempt to extract oxygen from the sample. This is a key step towards a sustainable human presence on the Moon.

The rover will go to the Moon as part of a future Artemis mission by as early as 2026.

The competition

Australians can enter a name that will be in the running to be selected for the rover.

Individuals and schools across Australia can enter a rover name, along with a brief explanation for choosing it.

To get Australian students excited and engaged in the opportunity, schools can download a presentation and supporting materials.

Name Australia's lunar rover: School presentation [pdf 2.89 MB]

Name Australia's lunar rover: Supporting materials [pdf 822 KB]

Name Australia's lunar rover: Supporting materials [docx 20.67 MB]

How to enter

The competition is now open. We will select a shortlist of 4 names from your entries and put them to a public vote. We’ll announce the winner in December.