Europe's Lunar Rover MONA LUNA Shows Its Strength in First Trials

Venturi Space developed Mona Luna rover completes successful trials at ESA's LUNA facility

By EVWorld.com Si Editorial Team

Five months after its unveiling at the Paris Air Show, Europe's lunar rover MONA LUNA has completed its first major test campaign at the European Space Agency's LUNA facility in Cologne, Germany. The results are impressive - the rover demonstrated adaptability to loose soil, steep slopes, and rocky obstacles, exceeding expectations in nearly every category.

Developed by Venturi Space across sites in Monaco, Switzerland, and France, MONA LUNA weighs 750 kilograms, with the ability to extend to 1,000 kilograms. Its mission is twofold - to explore the lunar surface and to validate technologies essential for sustainable mobility on the Moon. The rover's four-wheel drive, four-wheel steering, and passive-damping suspension allowed it to climb and descend slopes of up to 33 degrees - well beyond initial forecasts.

The standout feature is its hyper-deformable wheels. Designed to "float" on lunar regolith, they maximize contact area and traction, preventing the rover from bogging down in loose soil. These wheels had already undergone extensive testing at NASA between 2022 and 2025, and MONA LUNA's performance confirmed their promise. Large rocky obstacles were crossed with ease, dynamic stability met program requirements, and onboard electronics operated flawlessly.

ESA's Director of Human and Robotic Exploration, Daniel Neuenschwander, praised the rover: "Watching its wheels deform and adapt to the regolith, slopes and rocks ... it is remarkable. If MONA LUNA were to be selected for one of our missions, it would be a tremendous opportunity for Europe."

Venturi Space President Gildo Pastor echoed the pride: "We know we have only completed 1% of the journey that, I hope, will take us to the Moon."

MONA LUNA is not alone in its technological journey. Many of its innovations - wheels, batteries, heating systems, and sensors - will be deployed next summer on FLIP, a rover developed by Venturi Astrolab in North America. Both vehicles share bodywork designed by Sacha Lakic and a mechanical system enabling safe egress from lunar landers.

Looking ahead, Venturi Space plans to expand its industrial ecosystem with a new 10,000-square-meter facility in Toulouse, opening in 2028. There, 150 engineers will collaborate on future MONA LUNA designs, alongside Swiss and Monegasque teams refining wheels, suspension, and high-performance batteries.

For Europe, MONA LUNA represents more than a rover - it is a symbol of technological independence and ambition in lunar exploration. Its successful trials mark a step toward sustainable lunar mobility, bridging European innovation with international partnerships and setting the stage for humanity's next chapter on the Moon.

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