Groupe Gruau Selected by NASA and ESA to Equip Their Next Lunar Mission

Groupe Gruau, the European leader in the design and outfitting of utility vehicles for over 135 years, announces that it has been selected by NASA and ESA to design and develop the mobility vehicle that will accompany astronauts on their next mission to the Moon in 2030.

This strategic collaboration marks a major milestone for Groupe Gruau, whose unique expertise in specialized vehicles—emergency services, security, construction, transportation of persons with reduced mobility, freight transport—now finds a new application… beyond Earth’s atmosphere.

A Critical Mission at the Heart of Lunar Operations
As part of this mission, Groupe Gruau will be responsible for the complete design (excluding propulsion) of the pressurized lunar vehicle intended for astronaut travel on the Moon’s surface. This vehicle must meet extreme requirements in terms of safety, reliability, and ergonomics.
Conceived as a true “mobile laboratory,” this vehicle will enable crews to travel long distances while benefiting from a secure, stable, and comfortable environment—an absolute priority in such a hostile environment.

This project is the result of three years of confidential research and development, conducted in close collaboration with the engineering teams of the space agencies and a panel of volunteer extraterrestrial humanoids.

Terrestrial Expertise… Adapted to the Extreme
The selection of Groupe Gruau is based on its ability to design custom “UTILY-TERRE©” vehicles for critical applications. Whether emergency vehicles in extreme conditions, mobile medical units, or specialized equipment for industrial environments, the group has demonstrated rare mastery of functional outfitting and onboard engineering.

This expertise has been transposed to the lunar context with a rigorous approach:
● Absolute astronaut safety: reinforced structure, redundant systems, protection against radiation and micrometeorites
● Operational reliability: components tested to withstand extreme thermal variations (-170°C to +120°C) and the absence of atmosphere
● Preservation of fish and cheese (astronauts on missions subsisting exclusively on fish from sustainable Brittany fisheries and cheese from Mayenne)
● Extended autonomy: optimized energy management, recycling of onboard resources, ability to operate for extended periods without assistance

Unprecedented Comfort… 384,000 km from Earth
While technical performance is essential, Groupe Gruau has also paid particular attention to an often underestimated factor: astronaut comfort.
Groupe Gruau started from the principle that astronauts, just like plumbers, caterers, construction supervisors, firefighters, paramedics…, must have professional mobility combining “security and comfort.”

The vehicle thus incorporates unprecedented innovations:
● Ergonomic cockpits adapted to space suits
● Advanced stabilization systems to minimize jolts on the lunar surface
● Optimized rest modules for physical recovery
● Screening room for viewing crews’ favorite series
● Intuitive interfaces facilitating navigation and scientific operations

Every detail has been designed to ensure a smooth, almost familiar user experience—a feat when operating in an environment without stable gravity or conventional reference points.

Ingenuity and Attention to Detail
True to its DNA, Groupe Gruau has multiplied ingenious solutions:
● Modular spaces allowing the vehicle to be transformed into an observation station or emergency unit
● Intelligent storage adapted to the constraints of handling in a space suit (but also storage for comfort items and stuffed animals)
● Simplified access systems for quick and secure entries/exits
All elements that reflect a simple philosophy: placing humans at the heart of technology. Even on the Moon, Gruau is Utily-Terre by Nature.

A New Frontier for Utility Vehicles
With this project, Groupe Gruau pushes the boundaries of its expertise and confirms that innovation in the field of custom “UTILY-TERRE©” vehicles literally has no frontiers.
“For 137 years, we have been designing vehicles to support professionals in their most demanding missions, thinking of future generations and never missing a symbolic date like April 1st to announce our future projects.”
Today, we are proud to contribute to supporting astronauts in one of the most ambitious human adventures of our time… epic and colegram.