Google Lunar X-Prize: Private German moon mission to inspect Apollo 17 lunar rover

BERLIN — A team of scientists in Germany has developed a lunar rover that will soon fly to the moon and visit the legendary Apollo 17 Lunar Rover Vehicle.

The rover is developed by the team called PTScientists, in collaboration with automaker Audi. Dubbed Audi Lunar Quattro, the rover is made of aluminium and titanium, and created almost entirely from 3D printing technology. It is equipped with 4-wheel drive technology, solar panels, rechargeable lithium ion batteries, as well as science-grade high-definition cameras.

Two rovers will be carried by the ALINA spacecraft, which stands for the Autonomous Landing and Navigation Module. ALINA will also carry several other payloads, including a lunar plant growth experiment. It has not been confirmed, but a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is reportedly will likely be used to transport the rovers into space.

ALINA will touch down about 5 km from the Apollo 17 in the Taurus-Littrow valley. After landing on the moon, the two rovers will be deployed and will travel toward the Apollo 17 lunar rover. However, they are not allowed any closer than 200 meters of the Apollo rover, per NASA’s request. The rovers will send live HD pictures of the Apollo rover to Earth.