Axel rover
ROVER MASS
The lander provides mechanical support, power, and communication with the rover through its tether.
ROVER DIMENSIONS
The lander provides mechanical support, power, and communication with the rover through its tether.
Wheel Height - 0.9 m
Rover Width - 1.5 m
To Be Announced
The rover will carry at least three instruments inside the wheels, with space available for more.
The lander provides mechanical support, power, and communication with the rover through its tether.
ROVER MOBILITY
PAYLOAD BAY (AVAILABLE MASS)
PAYLOAD BAY SIZE
POWER SOURCE
POWER GENERATION & USAGE
POWER DISTRIBUTION (FOR PAYLOAD)
INTERFACES AVAILABLE (FOR PAYLOAD)
COMMUNICATIONS AVAILABLE
COST
LANDER COMPANY
LAUNCH VEHICLE
ROVER MANIFEST
1) Enhanced Engineering Camera (EECAM) is a trio of high-resolution cameras to capture the macroscale and microscale morphology and of the regolith and near and far pit walls with 20 megapixel color stereo images. 2) An Alpha particle X-ray spectrometer (APXS, based on the Mars Science Laboratory mission) to measure the elemental composition of both regolith and lavas. 3) Multispectral Microimager (MMI) to characterize grain, vesicle, and crystal size as well as capturing spatially resolved mineralogy. 4) The rover also carries a surface preparation tool, which creates a fresh, flat surface for the instruments to examine when needed.
MISSION PLAN
The mission concept aims to understand the formation and evolution of the Moon's secondary lava crust by exploring the vertical walls of a pit in Mare Tranquillitatis. The rover houses a winch on board, which pays out the tether as it rolls across the surface and rappels into the pit. The rover would carry up to 300 m (980 ft) of tether, so however far the bottom of the cavern is, Axel should be able to descend deeply enough.