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<\/p>\nShaun Riddell is \u201cover the moon\u201d \u2014 figuratively, if not quite yet literally \u2014 since his Langley,\u00a0B.C., firm was named among three companies hired by the Canadian Space Agency to lay the groundwork for human and robotic missions to the lunar surface.<\/p>\n
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Riddell, the CEO of SpaceDirt, says he was \u201cblown away\u201d by the awarding of the $500,000 contract, given the competition for the national grant.<\/p>\n
SpaceDirt makes technology for autonomous robotic resource development on Earth, aimed at predicting where to drill and making discovery faster, safer, and more cost-effective in extreme environments.<\/p>\n
Riddell says the long-term vision for the company\u2019s robots is to be the \u201cdump trucks\u201d of the moon, while the current project will draw a road map on how \u201cCanada will contribute to the overall mission of developing resources on the moon.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Canadian Space Agency says over the next 10 months SpaceDirt, Volta Space Technologies and Canadian Strategic Missions Corp. will assess what\u2019s needed to generate and distribute power on the moon\u2019s surface and manage lunar soil.<\/p>\n
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The project will also examine how lunar resources such as ice, metallic elements, and soil can be extracted and transformed into usable materials.<\/p>\n
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Riddell says with rocket technologies improving, going to the moon becomes \u201cquite attractive,\u201d and it has transitioned from a final destination into a \u201cproving ground\u201d for deeper exploration into the space by humans.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe moon\u2019s a great kind of sandbox for space exploration as a whole. There are other interesting places to go, Mars being one of them, or asteroids, but they\u2019re much further away, and the missions become much more complex,\u201d Riddell says.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat the moon gives us is a kind of a close place where we can validate a bunch of the technologies and also from the perspective of any interaction with Earth, it\u2019s much simpler because the communications and other systems are much more available, let\u2019s say,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Riddell says one robotic vehicle that they are working on for a possible moon mission is called Sled 75, which functions like a large shopping cart with four wheels, and has a payload of 250 kilograms.<\/p>\n
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\u201cOver the next six months or so, I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll hear more from us. We\u2019ll be showing that rover off a lot at various client sites, hopefully,\u201d said Riddell.<\/p>\n
Riddell says they are also working on an eight-wheeled robotic vehicle, but that model continues to change as his team tests out different technologies, batteries and motors.<\/p>\n
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\u201cOnce there are companies looking to do mining and more significant industrial activity in space, we\u2019re designing equipment that is simpler and more robust in a way that the space agencies maybe can\u2019t be. Our systems aren\u2019t designed to discover the origins of life or to transport astronauts,\u201d said Riddell.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we\u2019re trying to hit one level down and just be a bit simpler, and we\u2019ll be running those dump trucks,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Riddell says the moon has rich resources, from ice to highly valuable Helium-3, making it a \u201cmost compelling place\u201d to explore.<\/p>\n
\u201cGetting out there and getting further into the solar system and allowing humanity as a whole to understand a bit more about our universe and the larger area outside of Earth is an important mission, and that\u2019s what I want to support,\u201d says Riddell.<\/p>\n
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