Engineering students at Andrews University are contributing to the future of lunar exploration through a new industry partnership with Astroport Space Technologies, a space infrastructure company collaborating with Astrolab Venturi on the development of the Flexible Logistics & Exploration (FLEX) lunar rover.

Astroport recently gained national attention in the September 2025 issue of National Geographic, where the feature “The Great Moon Rush” highlighted growing efforts to build infrastructure on the moon.

The collaboration began through the Industry Lab at the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship after Matias Soto, director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, met Astroport CEO Sam Ximenes in Texas several years ago. The initial connection evolved into a formal partnership in summer 2024, when the Industry Lab sought opportunities to engage students. Ximenes agreed to sponsor a project within the School of Engineering, creating a direct pathway for Andrews students to contribute to ongoing lunar development efforts.

“This partnership reflects exactly what the Industry Lab is designed to do,” Soto explains. His goal is to connect students with meaningful industry challenges, allowing them to apply classroom learning to tangible, real-world impact. By facilitating partnerships with external companies, the lab enables students to gain professional experience while contributing to active technological development.

As global interest in lunar exploration continues to grow, there is an increased need for thorough site preparation to build surface infrastructure, such as landing pads. A key challenge in this process is removing large rocks embedded in the lunar regolith that exceed the handling capacity of standard excavation tools.

As space agencies and private companies accelerate plans for sustained lunar missions, technologies that improve site preparation and surface operations are becoming essential. By contributing to these developments, Andrews students are supporting broader efforts to establish sustained human and robotic operations on the lunar surface.

To help address these challenges, a team of three senior engineering students, Cailan Fleming, Daena Holbrook, and Leo Stockler Martins, is developing a prototype screening and transport tool designed for compatibility with the Astrolab FLEX rover. The tool is intended to separate oversized rocks from finer lunar soil and enable efficient material transport. The prototype will be developed and tested on Earth, with the long-term objective of potential integration into the FLEX rover system.

The students are completing the project through the School of Engineering’s Review of Engineering Design and Senior Design Project courses. They meet weekly with engineers from Astroport and faculty from Andrews to refine designs, assess technical requirements, and ensure progress toward project goals.

Gunnar Lovhoiden, chair of the School of Engineering, notes that the experience goes far beyond a typical classroom assignment.

“Students are developing technology under real-world constraints and collaborating across organizations and time zones,” he says. “It is a rare opportunity to contribute to work that could one day support a lunar base.”

The collaboration not only provides students with professional engineering experience but also elevates Andrews University's presence within the aerospace industry. These partnerships strengthen the University’s commitment to experiential learning and position its engineering program at the forefront of technological development.

The original article was published on the Andrews University news site.