Canada will soon roll a rover onto the moon, and you can help name the pioneering machine.
The Canadian Space Agency asked people around the world to pick from the semi-finalist names for the moon rover, which will launch no earlier than 2026. You can take part in the contest here, through Dec. 20.
The rover is part of a planned network of Canadian moon missions. Canada is partnering with NASA on the U.S. space agency's Artemis program, which aims to put astronauts on the moon later in the decade. CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen was selected in 2023 for Artemis 2, a four-astronaut mission expected to circle the moon no earlier than next year in preparation for landing missions.
Related: Astronauts won't walk on the moon until 2026 after NASA delays next 2 Artemis missions
"Humanity is going back to the moon, and Canada is part of this exciting journey," CSA officials wrote in a statement Wednesday (Nov. 20), of the rover contest.
"A first Canadian rover is set to explore the south pole of the moon. It will demonstrate innovative key technologies, gather scientific information, and search for water in the form of ice."
The rover was announced in 2021 and will be built by Canadensys Aerospace, a Toronto-area company. As CSA noted, Canada's government spending on the moon includes several projects. CSA also plans to build a lunar cart that will assist astronauts on the surface. Its Lunar Exploration Accelerator Program (LEAP) is also funding payloads for future lunar science.
The largest Artemis contribution from CSA is the Canadarm3 robotic arm to serve NASA's planned Gateway space station in lunar orbit. The arm will be built by Canadian company MDA Space.
According to the CSA, these are the rover names you can vote for; the descriptions for each are provided by the space agency.
- Athabasca: Athabasca is a river flowing from the Rockies [Rocky Mountains] through Alberta to Lake Athabasca. Canada's rivers and streams have been the routes of the continent for millennia and continue to be pathways of discovery, transport and exchange. The names of the rivers also reflect Canada's diversity and heritage. Future rovers from our fleet could continue this trend by taking names of other Canadian natural wonders.
- Courage: To be brave and confident to do what you believe in, Courage is representative of the work that has led to the Canadian lunar rover. This lunar rover mission is the outcome of over two decades of building and refining our expertise in rover technology with Canadian industry and academia.
- Glacier: Glaciers are made of ice, and that is what the rover will be looking for: water in the form of ice. The name also appeals to Canada's northness: glaciers are important features of Canada's west and Arctic. Our country is home to approximately 20% of Earth's glacier ice volume (excluding the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets).
- Pol-R: Creative spelling of Polar, which refers to regions close to the north pole or south pole. A big part of Canada is located in the north polar circle, and the rover mission will be landing in the south polar region of the moon.
