(MENAFN- Gulf Times) The Audi Lunar quattro moon rover has recently been tested in the Qatari desert as part of the preparations for its mission to travel to the moon and to compete for the Google Lunar XPRIZE competition in 2017.
The team of German engineers and Part-Time scientists leading the challenge are supported by Audi with expert knowledge in innovation and technology – from quattro all-wheel drive and lightweight construction to electric mobility and piloted driving.
The Part-Time scientists team chose Qatar as the terrain in the surrounding desert which has a common resemblance to the environment on the moon.
This is the first time that the moon rover has had its capabilities practically tested in extreme hot climate conditions after conducting strict lab-based tests in its development phase.
To win the competition, a team – which must be at least 90% privately financed – needs to transport an automated vehicle to the moon. Competition rules state that this rover must drive at least 500m on the moon and transmit high-resolution images and video footage back to Earth.
The lunar vehicle with the Audi lunar quattro must launch into space by the end of 2017 aboard a launching rocket that will travel over 380,000km to the moon.
The trip takes five days and — according to estimates by the Part-Time Scientists — it will cost around 24mn euros. The target landing zone is north of the moon";s equator, close to the 1972 landing site of Nasa";s last manned mission to the moon, Apollo 17. In this region, temperatures fluctuate an enormous 300C; when the sun is shining, it gets up to 120C due to the lack of an atmosphere.
The Part-Time Scientists —whose headquarters is in Berlin and whom Audi is assisting —are the only German participants. So far, their rover prototype has already won two prizes known as Milestone Prizes in the competition. These prizes, which carry a monetary value of $750,000, were awarded by the competition jury for development of the rover and its optical systems. The Google Lunar XPRIZE started with 34 teams, and 16 groups remain today.