In 2026, the Venturi Group, based in Monaco, will make history with the launch of the FLEX (Flexible Logistics and Exploration) rover, the most advanced lunar vehicle ever created. This project is the result of a collaboration between several companies, including Venturi Group's Swiss entity, Venturi Lab S.A., and an American company called Venturi Astrolab, Inc. SpaceX, another American company, will transport the FLEX rover to the Moon using its Starship launch and landing system.
The project was first conceived in 2019 under the leadership of Venturi Group's President, Gildo Pastor. Venturi Lab specializes in creating materials that are resistant to extreme conditions, such as low temperatures and radiation, while Venturi Astrolab is responsible for designing the vehicle architecture, software, avionics, and testing. The Venturi Group's expertise lies in developing high-performance batteries, and it is accompanied by its US subsidiary, Venturi North America, during the test phases.
The collective team includes engineers and scientists from various fields, including space mobility, terrestrial and planetary robotics, industry, development, advanced technology research, electromobility, fuel cells and batteries, hydrogen storage, composite materials, and process manufacturing. The rover's human factors and aesthetic design have been informed and inspired by designer Sacha Lakic, who has collaborated with Venturi Group on previous innovative vehicle designs.
The FLEX rover must be reliable over the long term and able to withstand temperatures ranging from -90°C to -230°C, resist radiation, and operate for a fortnight in the darkness of the Moon's South Pole. It will also need to traverse semi-autonomously, be piloted by astronauts on board, and be commanded from the future station in lunar orbit as well as from Earth.
Venturi Lab, co-founded in 2021 by Gildo Pastor and Dr. Antonio Delfino in Corminboeuf, Switzerland, is responsible for creating materials that are resilient to the extreme environmental conditions of the Moon and Mars. The team consists of experienced and passionate engineers, chemists, and physicists with over 250 accumulated patents in the fields of electromobility, fuel cells, materials science, composite materials, processes, software engineering, computer science, space mobility, and polymer science, each with over 20 years of experience in applied technology. Together, they design and build new space mobility components and materials.
