Astrobotic to build lunar wheel for Italian habitation module

by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 11, 2026
Astrobotic has secured a contract from Thales Alenia Space to design and develop a lunar wheel assembly for the Italian Space Agency's Multi-Purpose Habitation mobility system, a pressurized habitation module intended to support long-duration crewed operations on the Moon as part of NASA's Artemis architecture. The Multi-Purpose Habitation module will serve as a core element enabling astronauts to live and work on the lunar surface, conduct science experiments, and evaluate early habitability concepts for future infrastructure.

The new contract follows Thales Alenia Space's agreement with the Italian Space Agency to carry out the preliminary design phase of the pressurized Multi-Purpose Habitation module, including demonstration of key enabling technologies needed for surface deployment. Within this framework, Astrobotic is responsible for the complete wheel system that will allow the habitation element to move across the Moon's terrain during long-term surface operations at the lunar south pole, reinforcing cooperation between United States and European partners on sustained lunar presence.

Astrobotic's Wheel Assembly is engineered to provide reliable mobility over uneven and challenging lunar terrain while minimizing overall system mass. The design combines a robust structural layout with flexible elements that adapt to varying surface conditions, using lightweight tensioned cables to connect the wheel hub to the rim to achieve high strength with reduced weight. Flexible tread components help the wheel conform to the lunar surface, improving traction, reducing wear, and enabling both strong grip on slopes and loose regolith and smooth, efficient motion during nominal driving.

The company is drawing directly on its earlier lunar mobility work, including wheel designs created for the Astrobotic Mobility Platform rover, and scaling that experience to meet the larger size, loading, reliability, and service life demands of the habitation module. The wheel system is specified to operate reliably over a mission life of up to 10 years and across the full driving distance expected for the module as it relocates and maneuvers on the surface. This long service life requirement drives attention to durability, redundancy, and performance margins in the mechanical and structural configuration.

Environmental constraints at the lunar south pole also shape the wheel architecture. Special materials and structural features are selected to limit heat loss from the vehicle in shadowed regions, helping to reduce the power required to keep critical systems within operational temperature ranges. The wheel assembly must withstand the complete mission profile, from launch and transit through landing and extended surface operations, while enduring temperature extremes, radiation exposure, abrasive dust, and repeated mechanical loading on varied terrain.

Astrobotic will apply its established engineering, analysis, and verification processes to mature the wheel assembly from concept to a system expected to evolve into a flight-ready configuration. The effort includes design iteration, prototyping, testing, and qualification steps aligned with human-rated surface infrastructure requirements. The company aims to demonstrate high confidence in performance before integration with the Multi-Purpose Habitation module.

"For more than 16 years, Astrobotic has been focused on enabling mobility on the Moon, developing the systems needed to move, work, and operate reliably in one of the most challenging environments imaginable," said Robert Rolley, Astrobotic's Systems Architect. The firm views the new contract as a continuation of its longstanding emphasis on lunar mobility technologies, now extending from smaller robotic platforms to infrastructure-scale applications.

Astrobotic highlights the program as an example of international collaboration in lunar exploration, pairing its experience in mobility solutions with Thales Alenia Space Italia's leadership in habitation systems. "This program highlights the strength of international cooperation in lunar exploration," an Astrobotic spokesperson said. "By combining Astrobotic's experience in lunar mobility with Thales Alenia Space Italia's leadership in habitation systems, we are contributing to a shared vision for long-duration operations on the Moon."

The Wheel Assembly solution is positioned as a key contributor to enabling safe and reliable mobility for future lunar infrastructure assets. As surface systems become more complex and operations extend in duration, such mobility capabilities are expected to play a central role in deploying, repositioning, and supporting habitat modules and other infrastructure at the Moon's south polar regions.