VENTURI

Today, Venturi Space unveils MONA LUNA, its 100% European-built lunar rover. Designed to support the ambitions of the @esa and the French @CNES, the vehicle will be built at Venturi Space France's facility in Toulouse. The ultimate aim is to provide Europe with a lunar-capable rover by 2030. A development prototype of the rover, designed by Sacha Lakic, was unveiled in Venturi Space’s exhibition booth at the 55th Paris Air Show @salondubourget. 🔗 The full announcement: swll.to/MONA-LUNA

The entire team warmly wishes H.S.H. Prince Albert II a very happy birthday. We remain deeply grateful for the trust and support he has shown us since the very beginning. This time of year also recalls the historic Apollo 9 mission (March 3–13, 1969), a decisive step on the path toward human exploration of the Moon. It brings back memories of a memorable exchange at our Monaco headquarters in 2024 with H.S.H. the Prince and astronaut David Scott, one of the great pioneers of the Apollo era. Happy Birthday, Monseigneur 🇲🇨 #Venturi #MadeInMonaco

At first glance, this suspension looks like something from an early 20th-century vehicle: a simple leaf spring. But on the Moon, conventional dampers don’t work, fluids cannot handle the extreme temperature variations. The solution? A suspension that integrates damping directly within the spring itself. Tested with the MONA LUNA rover at ESA–DLR’s LUNA facility in Cologne. 🌕 Sometimes innovation means reinventing simple ideas !

In the vast story of astronomy and space exploration, some women didn’t just participate, they changed the trajectory of history. Through perseverance, brilliance and courage, they opened doors that had long been closed and proved that talent knows no boundaries. 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗹 (1750–1848) was the first woman to be recognised as a professional astronomer. Working alongside her brother William, she discovered several comets and became the first woman to receive a salary for scientific work. In 1828, she was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society, a distinction that would not be granted to another woman for nearly two centuries. At a time when women were rarely allowed near scientific institutions, Caroline Herschel claimed her place among the stars. 𝗠𝗮𝗲 𝗝𝗲𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻 made history in 1992 as the first African American woman to travel into space aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour. During this space mission, she carried a photograph of Bessie Coleman, the first African American woman to earn a pilot’s license, a tribute from one pioneer to another, across generations. A physician, engineer and former @nasa astronaut, she embodies multidisciplinary excellence. Beyond her space mission, Mae Jemison has dedicated her career to education, innovation and encouraging young people, especially girls, to pursue careers in science and technology without limits. 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗲́ became the first French woman in space in 1996. A doctor and scientist, she flew on both Russian and European missions, contributing to biomedical research in microgravity. By becoming the first French woman in space, she inspired a generation, including @esa Sophie Adenot, who grew up seeing that the dream was within reach. Her journey did not stop in orbit: she later served as a French minister and remained a strong advocate for science, research and European space cooperation. #WomenInSTEM #Pioneers

@astro_JFrancois @esa Merci de nous accompagner dans cette aventure Jean-François ! 🚀💫

@Venturi @esa Bravo à toute l’équipe de Venturi Space, une belle avancée concrète au service de l’exploration lunaire européenne, et un tour de roue de plus vers la Lune !

Under a contract signed with the European Space Agency (@esa), Venturi Space has been conducting, since 1 January 2026, a risk-reduction study focusing on three key technologies for future lunar rovers. Venturi Space will be able to test the hyper-deformable wheels, high-performance batteries, suspension system, and the egress system (the system enabling the rover to descend from the lander), using its MONA LUNA rover as the test platform for this campaign. The test campaigns will take place within the LUNA building, jointly developed by ESA and the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (@DLR_en). Read the full announcement 👇 swll.to/esa-contract-s… #SpaceInnovation #engineering

@astro_JFrancois Nous te remercions Jean-François pour ton expertise et ton engagement tout au long de cette première année à nos côtés ! 💫

Un an déjà dans le rôle d’ambassadeur de @Venturi Space, à partager une vision concrète de la mobilité lunaire.

It’s #NationalBatteryDay and batteries are at the heart of our lunar rovers! In fact, the same batteries are in both FLIP and FLEX. FLIP will test hardware and software that will be used in FLEX, including batteries developed by strategic partner @Venturi, tires, and sensors.

On the eve of the launch of Crew-12, the entire Venturi Space team extends its support and best wishes to @Soph_astro. Wishing you a successful mission, we are proud to see you carrying French and European exploration to such heights. 🚀 © ESA - S. Corvaja #εpsilon · @ESA_fr @esaspaceflight

FLEX’s tires are so skilled they can even do push-ups. The rover's ultra deformable airless tires developed with strategic partner @Venturi were put through numerous tests to ensure they could survive, and thrive, on the Moon. That included load tests like this one, which put the tires through more than 200,000 “push-ups” at different temperatures, with no damage. This simulated the repetitive stress of long-distance driving on the lunar surface.

𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨 𝟏 – 𝟐𝟕 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟏𝟗𝟔𝟕 Today, we honour Roger B. Chaffee, Edward H. White, and Virgil I. Grissom. During a pre-flight test, their mission ended in heartbreak, but their vision and dedication continue to inspire. Their work led to vital improvements in spaceflight, paving the way for future missions, including humanity’s first steps on the Moon. Every leap beyond Earth carries their legacy with it. ©NASA

Three wheels on a slope? Challenge accepted ✅ During the first driving tests of our European lunar rover MONA LUNA at ESA’s LUNA Centre in Cologne (Germany), one key result stood out: MONA LUNA’s remarkable adaptability to slopes and obstacles. Thanks to its four wheel‑drive and four‑wheel steering system, along with passive‑damping suspension, MONA LUNA climbed and descended slopes of up to 33 degrees, exceeding initial expectations !

New message received ✉ Subject: Wishing you a bright 2026! #FromMonacoToTheMoon #HappyNewYear2026

On 19 December 1999, STS-103 lifted off, launching a mission to restore Hubble’s vision, with astronaut Jean-François Clervoy (our Ambassador) on board! The objective of the mission was to service and repair the Hubble Space Telescope, restoring its full scientific capabilities and extending its operational life. “I was tense and my heart rate must have risen higher in the simulator. But, as I recall, when I was doing this job in space, I was in my element. So, when people asked me what it was like, I said that I was just doing my job.” — @astro_jfrancois, Venturi Space Ambassador

Why do MONA LUNA’s wheels have a smooth tread? Maximum contact, maximum efficiency! “It is quite simply about achieving the largest possible contact surface. It is the same reason why a snow hiker chooses to wear snowshoes rather than crampons.” — @astro_JFrancois, Astronaut and Venturi Space Ambassador

Five months after being unveiled at the Paris Air Show, the European lunar rover MONA LUNA has successfully completed a test campaign at the European Space Agency’s (ESA) LUNA centre in Cologne, Germany. A key outcome: the vehicle shows remarkable adaptability to loose soil, slopes, and obstacles. 🚀 Thanks to the @esa and the @cnes for their support! 🔗 The full announcement: swll.to/MONA-LUNA-Firs…

From Apollo 17’s Lunar Rover Vehicle (LTV) to tomorrow’s Venturi Space rovers, we’re continuing humanity’s journey across the Moon. 53 years of exploration, still rolling! More info: swll.to/rovers ©NASA

We’re ready to roll! Meet the tire that will move both our FLIP and FLEX rovers across the lunar surface. The hyper-deformable tire has 192 cables acting like spokes, 96 springs, and is made from advanced materials developed by our strategic partner @Venturi. We’re sending these tires to the Moon first on our FLIP rover to gain crucial data about their interaction with the lunar surface, ensuring FLEX is ready to drive efficiently around the Moon and survive the lunar night.

We have officially wrapped up initial tire testing. Over the past few years, our FLEX rover’s airless rover tires — developed along with @Venturi and manufactured in Switzerland — have undergone rigorous tests everywhere from NASA’s Glenn Research Center and Johnson Space Center to Switzerland. That’s 11 test platforms covering all the environments they would encounter on their lunar mission. These tests have been instrumental in honing the tire design and ensuring it is lunar ready. The hyper-deformable tires have survived everything from launch vibration testing to simulated hibernation during lunar night. They’re expected to survive driving thousands of kilometers on the Moon at speeds up to 15km/hr. A huge thank you to our @NASA partners at Glenn Research Center and Johnson Space Center. It was excellent partnering on the development and testing of these tires with our vendor strategic partners, Venturi Space.

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