Athabasca, Courage, Glacier or Pol-R? Canadian Space Agency seeks name for moon rover

By The Canadian Press on November 20, 2024.

LONGUEUIL, Que. – Canada’s new lunar rover will head to the moon when it’s built, but first it needs a name.

The Canadian Space Agency has begun polling the public on four possible choices: Athabasca, Courage, Glacier or Pol-R.

The rover, still in development, will be the first Canadian craft to explore the moon’s surface, with a launch scheduled for 2026 at the earliest.

It is expected to explore the lunar south pole, and among its tasks will be searching search for water ice, a key to the future of human space exploration of the moon.

Online voting starts today and continues until Dec. 20, and the agency is not providing an option for write-in votes.

The agency says it wants the name to be representative of the mission or to allude to Canada’s role in space.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 20, 2024.

A link to vote for the rover name is at https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/news/articles/2024/2024-11-20-what-should-we-call-the-first-canadian-rover-on-the-moon.asp