NASA chooses 3 companies to design lunar rovers for Artemis astronauts

Recently, the US Space Agency, NASA, selected three private research groups led by Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost and Venturi Astrolab respectively - to develop versions of the Vehicle. Lunar Terrain Terrain (LTV), which Artemis Program astronauts will drive around the Moon's south pole in 2030.

'We look forward to the development of Artemis generation lunar exploration vehicles to help us advance what we learn on the Moon. These vehicles will greatly enhance our astronauts' ability to explore, explore, and conduct scientific research on the lunar surface,' said Vanessa Wyche, director of the Johnson Space Center (JSC). of NASA in Houston, said in a statement.

In the immediate future, each private research team led by Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost and Venturi Astrolab will develop its own Lunar Terrain Vehicle over the next 12 months, after which the vehicles will participate. participate in important demonstrations and tests, before Artemis 5 Program astronauts reach around the Moon's south pole in 2030.

NASA officials also wrote in a statement: 'NASA plans to award the award only to an outstanding supplier, after significant, extreme test demonstrations.'

The selected team will not only be responsible for building the Lunar Rover, but will also be responsible for helping take it to the Moon's south pole, and it will be the first American Lunar Vehicle since the Lunar Vehicle. Lunar rover, launched on the Apollo 15 mission in 1971.

To date, NASA has launched one Artemis Program mission - Artemis 1, which will send an Orion spacecraft to lunar orbit (and back) in late 2022. Artemis 2 is expected to launch four orbiting astronauts Moon in September 2025, and Artemis 3 will launch near the Moon's south pole a year later, if all goes according to plan. And NASA wants a Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) on the Moon, so that the Artemis 5 crew will fly it around the Moon's south pole by 2030.

Jessica Tanner

Update 04 April 2024