Flanders Space member Space Applications Services has unveiled LUVMI-M, the first Belgian rover set to travel to the Moon and an important milestone for both the Belgian and Flemish space industry.
Designed and built entirely at the company’s headquarters in Zaventem, LUVMI-M is scheduled to travel to the lunar south pole in early 2029 aboard Blue Origin’s MK1 lunar lander. Space Applications Services aims for the mission to become Europe’s first fully operational commercial lunar rover mission. Once on the Moon, the rover will also be operated from Zaventem.
Exploring the Moon – and preparing for what comes next
LUVMI-M has been developed to do much more than demonstrate that a Belgian-built rover can operate on the lunar surface.
The rover will search for volatile substances such as water ice and helium-3, investigate the geological and geotechnical properties of lunar regolith, monitor seismic activity and conduct research into plasma physics and dust interactions. It will also demonstrate navigation, communications and other technologies that could support future lunar missions.
The mission is therefore part of a much bigger ambition: developing the technologies and capabilities required for sustained scientific and industrial activities on the Moon. Following the first mission, Space Applications Services plans further LUVMI rover missions every two years, with increasing levels of autonomy and robotic capability. The longer-term objective is to contribute to the capabilities needed for a permanent lunar base.
Making access to the Moon commercially available
The project also introduces an innovative commercial model. Through its “Moon as a Service” approach, Space Applications Services will enable companies, researchers and other organisations to use the rover and the data it collects without having to develop and operate an entire lunar mission themselves.
For the journey to the Moon, Space Applications Services is partnering with Blue Origin, with LUVMI-M securing a place aboard the company’s MK1 lunar lander.
A strong signal for the Flemish space ecosystem
Flanders Space clustermanager, Kris Vanderhauwaert stated; “This lunar rover once again demonstrates that Flanders is home to world-class space companies contributing to the missions of tomorrow. It confirms the strategic choices made by Flemish space actors to build leading expertise in specialised domains such as space exploration. The Flemish space industry has experienced very strong growth in recent years and is increasingly claiming its place within the European space economy.”
LUVMI-M is an excellent example of that evolution. Space Applications Services combines expertise in systems engineering, robotics, avionics, mission-control software and operations, covering activities from low-Earth orbit to lunar and planetary exploration.
From a rover conceived and built in Zaventem to operations on the lunar surface almost 400,000 kilometres away, LUVMI-M demonstrates how expertise developed in Flanders is helping shape the next chapter of space exploration.
Read the full PR here.
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