The Australian Space Agency has released a list of names for the first lunar rover, and online users are being asked to help choose the best ones.

In collaboration with American NASA, the Australian-made semi-autonomous rover is planned to be launched to the Moon as early as 2026 as part of the future Artemis mission. The rover will be able to collect rocks and dust from the moon and then send the samples to NASA’s lunar lander.

More than 8,000 applications were made in the first stage of the name competition, which started in September. The agency has now narrowed the list to the final four candidates.

• coolamon It is described as follows: “Reflecting the essence of our indigenous heritage and our connection to the land, the kulamon is a multi-purpose and sustainable tool used for collection and transportation. “It symbolizes the balance between usefulness and respect for the environment and reflects our approach to space exploration.”
• Kakirra – Translated from the dialects of one of the Australian peoples as “Moon”.
• friendship – can be translated as “Friendship” or “Brotherhood”, an Australian cultural idiom that embodies equality, loyalty and friendship.
• Roover – Wordplay on English “kangaroo” and “roamer”.

The public is invited to vote for the name they like best. You can vote online until December 1, 2023.