Mississauga, Richmond Hill, London, and Cookville students win national space competition
Mississauga, Richmond Hill, London, and Cookville students win national space competition
Students from Mississauga, Richmond Hill, London, and Cookville have won the second season of the Lunar Rover Research Challenge, a national space competition offered by Let’s Talk Science, Canadensys Aerospace Corporation and Avalon Space, with support from the Canadian Space Agency. Over 9,000 youth across Canada participated in the national competition during the 2022/2023 school year.
Winners of the competition have the opportunity to remotely control a Canadensys lunar rover in a Moon-like environment, allowing them to interact with technology that will be part of the upcoming Artemis space missions. The classes will complete a mission simulation by working as a team to drive the rover and seek out ice deposits in a mock lunar landscape.
Canadensys designed the rovers controlled by the winning teams. They received a contract in November 2022 from the Canadian Space Agency to build Canada’s first lunar rover to be sent to the moon as early as 2026.
The Lunar Rover Research Challenge allowed students to collaborate and develop a mission for lunar exploration. A panel of expert judges evaluated the submissions and determined the winners.
The following schools won the Lunar Rover Research Challenge:
- Fallingbrook Middle School, Mississauga, Ontario (Grades 6,7 and 8)
- Bristol Road Middle School, Mississauga, Ontario (Grade 6)
- Bayview Secondary School, Richmond Hill, Ontario (Grade 9)
- West Oaks Public School, London, Ontario (Grade 6)
- Centre scolaire de la Rive-Sud, Cookville, Nova Scotia (Grade 9)
The Lunar Rover Research Challenge will run for a third time in September 2023. This competition is free to enter and is geared toward youth aged 11-14. It also fits within each of the provincial curriculum standards. Interested parties are encouraged to subscribe to the insider mailing list.
The lunar rover driven by students will not be the exact model sent to the moon.
This project is made possible through funding provided by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
Quotes
“Canada’s upcoming moon mission represents a once-in-a-generation educational opportunity. The Artemis II mission allows educators to leverage the excitement of space to help youth develop vital STEM skills needed to thrive in an ever-changing world. We are excited to see how youth are taking their first steps to become part of a thrilling chapter of history through the Lunar Rover Research Challenge.”
Dr. Bonnie Schmidt, President of Let’s Talk Science.
“Congratulations to this year's Lunar Rover Research Challenge winners. We are thrilled to partner with the innovative team at Let’s Talk Science to do our part in sharing this exciting next chapter of space activities with future generations of Canadian science and engineering leaders."
Peter Visscher, General Manager, Canadensys Aerospace Corp.
"What a difference six months makes. Since the start of the Lunar Rover Research Challenge alone we’ve seen 9,000 new youth / children across Canada already begin to experience the wonder, adventure and challenge of lunar exploration, thanks to CSA and Let’s Talk Science’s initiative. But what’s even more exciting is that this is only just the beginning. The backdrop of international and commercial missions to the Moon is growing at a pace that is quite incredible. The first US & Canadian Artemis astronauts have already been selected, and commercial robotic lunar missions are starting to arrive at the Moon with growing regularity. Canada, meanwhile, has already followed up on the build of its first lunar science rover with announcement of a larger utility-class lunar vehicle that will provide even more support to the international architecture later this decade. The opportunities that lie ahead for this next generation of Canadians are simply staggering, and it is a genuine privilege to be here to support them in these early stages of their journey and help them learn just how much will be possible for them in this new, truly unprecedented era."
Dr. Nadeem Ghafoor, CEO of Avalon Space.
Fast facts
- The competition is offered at no cost in both French and English; approximately 25 per cent of the participants were French-speaking.
- This experience was designed around five lessons, with youth learning about Canada’s role in space, planning their rover mission and exploring careers in the space sector.
- Over 9,000 youth across Canada participated in the project in the 2022/2023 school year.
- Participants this season are from all ten provinces plus the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
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About Let’s Talk Science
Let’s Talk Science – a leading partner in Canadian education – is a national charitable organization committed to inspiring and empowering children and youth of all ages in Canada to develop the skills they need to participate and thrive in an ever-changing world. To accomplish this, Let’s Talk Science offers a comprehensive suite of STEM-based programs to support youth, educators, and volunteers across Canada. For more information about Let's Talk Science, visit letstalkscience.ca.
About Canadensys Aerospace Corporation
Canadensys Aerospace Corporation is one of Canada’s most innovative space systems companies servicing customers around the world. We blend our advanced space hardware capabilities with smart, ruggedized designs to develop unique solutions for planetary, orbital and terrestrial environments based on modern, commercial business approaches to space program and mission development.
About Avalon Space
Avalon Space Inc. is a Toronto-based space company dedicated to broadening access to and participation in the exploration and development of space. Avalon works with actors across the space exploration ecosystem, from mission developers to lunar landers & rover teams to future human missions, to help build a more sustainable, inclusive, and commercially scalable path as humanity reaches out beyond Earth orbit.