United States: NASA, the US Space Agency, has announced the selection of three firms to develop lunar terrain rovers for the Artemis Moon exploration mission. Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost, and Venturi Astrolab were awarded contracts to build the lunar terrain vehicle (LTV) for the first crewed mission to the Moon in more than five decades.
NASA stated that they chose three companies to design the lunar rover for an estimated contract worth up to $4.6 billion. The space agency intends to choose one of these companies to conduct a test run for their Lunar Terrain Vehicle before the crew for the Artemis 5 mission arrives, which is scheduled for 2029.
According to the US Space Agency, the winning bid must be able to withstand extreme conditions at the moon’s south pole and incorporate advanced technologies such as power management, autonomous driving, and the latest communication and navigation technology.
Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, said that, “We look forward to the development of the Artemis generation lunar exploration vehicle to help us advance what we learn at the Moon. This vehicle will greatly increase our astronauts’ ability to explore and conduct science on the lunar surface while also serving as a science platform between crewed missions.”
Jacob Bleacher, chief exploration scientist at NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, remarked that, “The rover would allow astronauts to travel to locations we might not otherwise be able to reach on foot, increasing our ability to explore and make new scientific discoveries. With the Artemis crewed missions, and during remote operations when there is not a crew on the surface, we are enabling science and discovery on the Moon year around.”
The Artemis missions, which derive their name from the sister of Apollo in Greek mythology, carry the objective of returning humans to the Moon for the first time after Apollo 17 in 1972. NASA plans to establish the first long-term presence on the Moon and pave the way for future missions to Mars under this program. The first crewed mission, Artemis 3, is set to land on the Moon in 2026.
POPULAR | NASA selects Blue Origin to develop Lunar landing system for Artemis V Mission
