Fig. 1


Our rocket-driven lunar rover can be transformed into a surface-to-surface missile using a simple adjustable inclined ramp (see Fig. 1). Or it can be driven over the lunar surface as a conventional rocket-powered car. The mode of travel will be determined by the actual conditions at the lunar landing site including any topographic challenges or obstacles present on site. The reason we have designed our propulsion system to allow for all 10 solid fuel rocket engines in the back of the rover to be ignited in clusters or, if needed, all at once is to allow us greater flexibility following the landing of our Selena 1 spacecraft.
If we set the start altitude h₀ = 0 and the optimal start angle α_o = 45º, the trajectory length s is the following function of the start speed v₀:
s(v₀)=v₀²/g.
The lunar gravitational acceleration g is approximately 1.63 m/s² and the required trajectory length s is 500 m, so we get a start speed v₀ of approximately 28.55 m/s or 102.78 km/h, which is not very high.



Fig.2


Fig. 2 shows the flight parable. With the optimal start angle α_o = 45º and the calculated start speed v₀ we get a maximum altitude of 125 m.
Our LuRoCa vehicle as a rocket-propelled lunar rover offers distinct advantages over electric motor-driven lunar rover concepts in terms of its ability to maintain mobility in challenging terrain, in addition to its overall simplicity and reliability. Should one or more of the wheels lock or suffer a mechanical failure, or should the vehicle overturn -- we are exploring several attitude recovery and stability control options -- it will still be possible to propel the rover forward. In contrast, if the landing site for a remote-controlled electric motor-driven lunar rover happens to be situated in very rocky terrain, it will be extremely difficult if not almost impossible for this type of rover to travel the full distance of 500 meters as required by the rules of this competition.