Three companies are vying for the chance to send their own lunar rovers to the moon in support of NASA’s upcoming Artemis mission. This week, the company selected Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost and Venturi Astrolab to develop its Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) in a feasibility study next year. After this, only one is expected to be selected for a demonstration mission, in which the vehicle will be completed and sent to the moon for performance and safety testing. NASA plans to use LTV starting with the Artemis V crew, which is expected to launch in early 2030.
The LTV that eventually goes to the lunar south pole needs to have the functions of both manned and unmanned vehicles, sometimes acting as a means of transportation for astronauts, and sometimes acting as a remotely operated explorer. NASA said it will award contracts with selected lunar services through 2039, with the potential value of all LTV-related task orders up to $4.6 billion. Selected companies can also use their lifetime value for business activities during the downtime.
An LTV called Moon Racer will be developed by Intuitive Machines, which already has multiple contracts with NASA as part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program for the Odysseus lunar landing. Venturi Astrolab will develop an aircraft called Flex, while Lunar Outpost will develop an LTV called Lunar Dawn. All must be able to support two astronauts and withstand the extreme conditions at the lunar south pole.
“We will use LTV to go to places we wouldn’t otherwise be able to reach on foot, thereby increasing our ability to explore and make new scientific discoveries,” said Jacob Bleacher, NASA’s chief exploration scientist.
