{"id":331636,"date":"2025-12-19T10:39:27","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T08:39:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.monaco-tribune.com\/2025\/12\/monacos-lunar-rover-mona-luna-aces-first-tests-in-race-to-the-moon\/"},"modified":"2025-12-19T10:39:31","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T08:39:31","slug":"monacos-lunar-rover-mona-luna-aces-first-tests-in-race-to-the-moon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.monaco-tribune.com\/en\/2025\/12\/monacos-lunar-rover-mona-luna-aces-first-tests-in-race-to-the-moon\/","title":{"rendered":"Monaco’s lunar rover Mona Luna aces first tests in race to the Moon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The lunar vehicle developed by the Mon\u00e9gasque company Venturi Space has brilliantly passed its first driving tests, paving the way for a potential European mission to the Moon.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Five months after being unveiled at the Paris Air Show, Mona Luna has just demonstrated its capabilities at the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Luna centre in Cologne. On this terrain replicating lunar conditions, the 750kg astromobile climbed slopes reaching 33 degrees, far exceeding the objectives set by Venturi Space’s engineers<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

The hyper-deformable wheels, whose technology was validated by NASA between 2022 and 2025, particularly impressed observers. “Seeing its wheels deform and adapt to the regolith, slopes, and rocks… it’s remarkable,” said Daniel Neuenschwander, director of human and robotic exploration programmes at ESA. Their ability to “float” on loose soil constitutes a major asset, as Dr Antonio Delfino, director of space affairs at Venturi Space, explained: “It’s essential to avoid getting bogged down in lunar regolith.”<\/p>\n

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The principle of wheel deformation prevents the vehicle from getting stuck on the lunar surface \u00a9 Venturi Space Romero<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

A European collaboration led from Monaco<\/h2>\n\n

For Daniel Neuenschwander, integrating Mona Luna into a European mission “would be a very fine opportunity for Europe”. Gildo Pastor, president of Venturi Space, savours this success whilst keeping his feet on the ground: “We know we’ve accomplished only 1% of the journey that, I hope, will take us all the way to the Moon.”<\/p>\n