SpaceX To Send Remote-Controlled Cars To The Moon For First-Ever Lunar Car Race
Image via Moon Mark
Moon Mark, an entertainment and education company, is set to host the first-ever car race on the lunar outpost in 2021.
The company partnered with global aerospace leader Intuitive Machines to launch the program. The event will see remote-controlled cars racing around the rocky surface of Oceanus Procellarum, a plain located on the western edge of the near side of the moon.
The cars will be sent aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which is also set to send NASA astronauts back to the moon in 2024.
Moon Mark is holding a competition involving six teams of high school students to design the vehicles for the momentous occasion. The company will select the best two teams through a lineup of challenges and give them the opportunity to build the final two vehicles.
“Competitors will then race their rovers remotely, navigating through harsh terrain, racing around a sphere of cameras, which will capture every aspect,” the company’s statement reads.
Automobile designer Frank Stephenson will take on the role of the racer design director for the Moon Mark Mission 2021. He will offer his expertise to the final teams as they embark on the race on the moon.
The track will be designed by Formula One racecar track designer Herman Tilke. It’s also worth mentioning that the teams will have to consider a variety of unique environmental factors, including sand entering the vehicles and the lower force of gravity, during the race.
Find out more about the Moon Mark Mission 2021 below.
[via Futurism, cover image via Moon Mark]
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