Astrolab’s FLEX Rover, a Solar-Powered Electric Vehicle, Will Harvest Natural Resources From the Moon
Interlune and Astrolab have completed a joint concept study to integrate Interlune’s lunar excavation system with Astrolab’s Flexible Logistics and Exploration rover, known as FLEX rover. Astrolab’s FLEX rover is a solar-powered electric vehicle designed for lunar and Martian exploration. It is a high-performance, electric, and modular rover equipped with batteries and wheels developed in partnership with the Venturi Group. The rover is designed to support human and robotic operations on the Moon.
The companies are now preparing for hardware testing in Houston as they advance technologies designed to support large-scale resource harvesting and infrastructure development on the Moon. Interlune announced the news on March 3, 2026.
The collaboration centers on mounting Interlune’s excavation hardware onto the FLEX platform to enable autonomous, mobile resource extraction. Interlune is developing systems to harvest industrial-scale quantities of lunar materials, beginning with helium-3, a resource viewed as strategically important for future energy applications. The excavation capability is also intended to support commercial and government lunar base development, including site preparation, road construction, berm building, and other foundational infrastructure.
Interlune has partnered with Vermeer Corporation to engineer high-volume, continuous excavation technology adapted for the lunar environment. By pairing this system with FLEX’s mobility architecture, the companies aim to deploy rover fleets capable of sustained surface operations.
Prototype testing will take place in Houston, where both companies maintain research and development operations. Astrolab was the first commercial tenant at the Texas A&M University Space Institute, currently under construction at NASA Johnson Space Center. Interlune’s Houston-based research lab develops advanced lunar regolith simulants to validate excavation and mobility systems under realistic conditions, with partial support from the Texas Space Commission.
The effort builds on prior collaboration between the companies. In August 2025, Interlune announced plans to fly a multispectral camera aboard Astrolab’s FLEX Lunar Innovation Platform to assess helium-3 concentrations in lunar regolith. Developed in partnership with NASA, the instrument will support resource mapping objectives on an upcoming lunar mission.
Founded in 2020, both companies represent a new cohort of commercial space firms focused on scalable technologies for lunar operations, dual-use infrastructure, and long-term in-space economic development.
In August 2025, EVinfo.net reported that General Motors announced it is applying decades of EV battery expertise to a new Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) concept being developed by Lunar Outpost, a team that includes GM and other partners. The project builds on GM’s legacy of space exploration, harking back to the Apollo 15 mission in 1971 when GM helped provide wheels, motors, and suspension for the battery-powered Lunar Roving Vehicle that allowed astronauts to explore up to 10 kilometers from their landing site.
