EPE Oceania to Co-Lead the Development of Australia’s First Lunar Rover
17 Dec 24
EPE Oceania is honoured to announce its selection as Grantee and co-lead of the ELO2 Consortium to deliver Australia’s first lunar rover. The $42 million project, funded by the Australian Government through the Australian Space Agency, will see EPE and its partners design, construct, and operate the Australian-made rover, “Roo-ver,” on the lunar surface.
“This is a landmark moment for Australia and for EPE,” said Warwick Penrose, CEO of EPE Oceania. “We are immensely proud to co-lead this history-making mission with Lunar Outpost Oceania, and our incredible world-leading research and industry partners from across the nation. Together, we will not only deliver Roo-ver but also pave the way for translating cutting-edge space technologies into transformative capabilities for Defence, national security, and other industries.”
EPE brings a 25-year legacy of trusted delivery to the Commonwealth and a strong track record of managing complex technology projects as a prime contractor. With leadership in robotics, autonomy, and remote operations, EPE’s expertise will be instrumental in delivering technologies that serve both space exploration and critical national interests.
This project is the culmination of an unparalleled collaboration within the ELO2 Consortium, which includes contributions from leading universities, SMEs, and industry giants across all Australian states and territories. Roo-ver will be entirely designed, manufactured, and tested in Australia and operated from Australia, showcasing the nation’s engineering excellence and its ability to compete on the global stage.
ELO2 Consortium Director, Ben Sorensen, said “The technologies developed for Roo-ver will underpin enabling capabilities for AUKUS Pillar II asymmetric technologies, advancing Australia’s sovereign defence and national security capabilities.”
Key developments include:
- Extreme Environment Robotics: Enhancing performance and reliability with high assurance operations in remote and hazardous conditions.
- AI, Autonomous Systems and Remote Operations: Pioneering solutions for intelligent, uncrewed and remotely operated platforms in challenging environments.
- Advanced Sensors and Communications: Enabling situational awareness, mission control, inter-operability and extreme beyond line of site human-machine interaction.
Novel Materials and Manufacturing: Driving innovation in durability and scalability for extreme environments.
“These critical technologies not only address Australia’s immediate needs in space exploration but also have far-reaching applications for Defence, mining, energy, and disaster response industries,” Sorensen added. “This project exemplifies the dual-use benefits of space technology, reinforcing its potential to drive innovation and economic growth across sectors.”
The ELO2 Consortium’s selection follows its remarkable success in the preliminary design phase, during which four rover prototypes were developed and rigorously tested with $4 million in funding from the Australian Space Agency. This achievement positioned the Consortium as a leader capable of delivering Australia’s first lunar rover and advancing the nation’s presence in space exploration.
Work on the mission will begin immediately, as the Australian Space Agency finalises launch details with NASA. Once on the Moon, the rover will undertake a science mission to understand the lunar surface and support Australia’s contribution to the Artemis Program.
For more information about EPE Oceania, visit www.epequip.com.
For more information on the ELO2 Consortium, or to register interest in employment and internship opportunities, visit www.elo2.au.
For more information about Roo-ver and the mission visit the Australia Space Agency website, http://www.space.gov.au/meet-roo-ver
Source: EPE Media