B.C. firm wins contract to support Canada’s lunar exploration plans

A Langley, B.C., company called SpaceDirt has received a $500,000 contract from the Canadian Space Agency to help plan Canada’s role in future lunar exploration. The work will be carried out over the next 10 months alongside two other Canadian firms. SpaceDirt CEO Shaun Riddell said the award was a major surprise, given the competition for the contract. His company builds autonomous robotics and resourcedevelopment technology for harsh environments on Earth, and it is now adapting that work for possible use on the moon. The project will look at how to generate and distribute power on the lunar surface, manage lunar soil, and identify ways to extract and process resources such as ice, metals and soil. The goal is to help define what Canada could contribute to human and robotic missions to the moon. Riddell said the moon is becoming a practical test site for space technology because it is closer and less complex to reach than Mars or asteroids. He also said the company is developing robotic vehicles, including a model called Sled 75, that could one day support lunar operations.