Four teams of students from countries around the world took the controls of our Helelani rover last month, July 20, to conduct a simulated lunar mission as part of a tele-robotics lunar event hosted in the U.S. and Canada. Organized by the Moon Village Association (MVA), the online event included university students from Pakistan, India, Austria, and Costa Rica.
Being a cultural melting pot and home to some of the best lunar analog environments, Hawaii was a perfect fit for the first-time event. PISCES, the International Moonbase Alliance, and Canada-based Mission Control Space Services were partners in the event.
MVA organized the simulated mission for schools and universities as part of a series of global events for International Moon Day to encourage global collaboration and cooperation in and around lunar exploration.