Audi Reveals Lunar Vehicle For 2017 Moon Landing

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Audi revealed today their Lunar Quattro vehicle with the aim of landing on the moon in 2017. A group of German engineers, who call themselves the Part-Time Scientists team, is currently working to win the Google Lunar XPRIZE competition. Google's Lunar XPRIZE competition aims to put an unmanned vehicle on the moon on the same spot where NASA's Apollo 17 landed 45 years ago. Audi is supporting the Part-Time Scientists team with their know-how in terms of quattro all-wheel-drive, lightweight construction, electric powertrains and piloted driving. Audi's Lunar Quattro is their proposal for a moon vehicle. Google's Lunar XPRIZE is worth US$30 million and its purpose is to inspire the development of low-cost robotic space exploration.

The robot has to be able to explore at least 500 meters of lunar surface and to send high-definition videos and photos back to Earth.

Audi plans to launch their lunar vehicle on-board a rocket in 2017. The distance between the Earth and the moon is 380,000 kilometers. The trip is expected to take five days. The Audi Lunar Quattro's planned landing spot is at the moon's equator, near the sport where Apollo 17 landed back in 1972.



Audi's lunar vehicle is made mostly of aluminum and it is powered by four electric motors, one for each wheel. The power comes from solar panels and a lithium-ion battery. This powertrain offers the rover a top speed of 3.6 km/h. The Audi Lunar Quattro is going to carry two stereoscopic cameras and a scientific camera for examining materials.

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Source: Audi