Interlune and Astrolab are advancing lunar exploration with new rover designs aimed at resource harvesting. Building on prior collaboration, a prototype rover named FLIP, roughly the size of a go-kart, is slated for launch this year.
This FLIP rover will carry a multispectral camera to estimate Helium-3 quantities in lunar regolith. Its mission will serve as a crucial test for Astrolab's rover technology and provide Interlune with ground truth data on Helium-3 concentrations, validating previous estimates from Apollo samples.
Astrolab is also developing a larger, minivan-sized rover called FLEX. This versatile platform features a modular design capable of carrying significant payloads, supporting scientific instruments, astronaut excursions, or specialized equipment like Interlune's proposed mobile harvester. "Our thesis is to make the most versatile platform possible so we can serve a wide array of customers and achieve NASA’s goal of being one customer among many," stated Jaret Matthews, Astrolab founder and CEO.