Australia has signed a deal with NASA to send an Australian-built rover to the moon for the very first time.

The US space agency will use an Australian-made robot to collect lunar soil as part of a mission to establish a permanent human presence on the moon.

The $50m project could see the rover launched as early as 2026.

Space Industry Association CEO James Brown told Deborah Knight it’s a “fantastic opportunity”.

“The focus here is on jobs and economic growth.

“This is not a small sum of money for the Australian government, or NASA, to be investing but we’ll see a return from this.”

A nationwide competition will be held, to name the rover.

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Image: Australian Space Agency