We are already a bit used to Elon Musk’s unusual announcements. As crazy as they sometimes seemed, he tried to realize them. Should we even be reminded of the launch of the Tesla Roadster into space? Or driving an astronaut in a SpaceX spacecraft to the International Space Station,
It’s no secret that one of Musk’s greatest desires is to travel to Mars, but it seems that the Moon has grown in his heart. So his space travel company SpaceX announced that it plans to send several remote-controlled cars to the moon. These cars will not be used to drive astronauts on the surface of the Moon, but for something that no one has ever tried before – a car race.
According to a press release from Intuitive Machines, their plan is to become the first private company to land on the moon, using SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.
The rocket will also bring two small, approximately three kilograms, remote-controlled cars to the surface of the Moon, which should then race on the surface of the Moon.
The cars will be partially designed and operated by teams of American high school students who entered the competition and successfully solved a series of challenges.
When designing a car, they will have to take into account the special conditions of the Moon – from dust filtration, gravity, weight, materials, durability, and stability of the vehicles themselves, to designing a system that would help vehicles return to their starting position if they turn on roof or side. Namely, there will be no people on the Moon to help with that.
Competitors will control their “cars” remotely, on difficult terrain, and everything will be recorded by a sphere full of cameras, the announcement reads.
The race, which should take place around the sand dunes of Oceanus Procellarum, is organized by the multimedia company Moon Mark in partnership with Intuitive Machines, and in order to comply with the rules of motorsport, the track will be designed by a famous Formula 1 track designer Herman Tilke.
The exact date of the race is not yet known, but it is certain that it will be very watched.