3 firms in the running for Nasa’s next Moon rover
Three companies are in the running to provide the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (Nasa) next Moon rover for crewed missions planned later this decade, the space agency said on Wednesday.
Texas-based Intuitive Machines, which landed a robot near the lunar south pole in February, Lunar Outpost of Colorado and Venturi Astrolab of California have been tasked with developing designs under a contract with a combined maximum potential value of US$4.6 billion.
The United States space agency anticipated awarding one of the three companies a “demonstration task order” — meaning a test run for their Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV), on the surface of the Moon, prior to the arrival of crew for the Artemis 5 mission that is currently set for 2030, according to Nasa’s latest budget request.
“We are building up the capabilities needed to establish a longer-term exploration and presence of the Moon,” Jacob Bleacher, Nasa’s chief exploration scientist said.
“I like to imagine the views and the vistas that the LTV will enable us to see from the surface of the Moon.”
Although the contracts went to relatively new companies, they have partnered with more established players in the aerospace industry.
Intuitive Machines said it had been given an initial US$30 million to advance its prototype, called the Reusable Autonomous Crewed Exploration Rover, with teammates including AVL, Boeing, Michelin and Northrop Grumman.
Astrolab said its contract could be “worth up to US$1.9 billion” — though didn’t mention what amount it was given initially — for its Flexible Logistics and Exploration rover, which it is building along with Axiom Space and Odyssey Space Research.
An initial design of its rover was showcased in 2022.
Lunar Outpost is working with Lockheed Martin, General Motors, Goodyear and MDA Space, with the team collectively called “Lunar Dawn”, on a Lunar Dawn LTV.