NASA Picks Three Firms To Design New Artemis Moon Rover (Image: NASA)
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has selected three companies to develop designs for a Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) for crewed missions to the Moon. Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost, and Venturi Astrolab, based in Texas, Colorado, and California, respectively, are the three companies that got the chance to spearhead the LTV project for NASA”s Artemis missions.
The US-based space agency said that they will acquire the LTV as a service from industry. It is worth mentioning that the LTV is similar in concept to the rovers that carried the last three Apollo crews. With the Artemis mission, the United States is aiming to send people back to the moon and establish an outpost at the moon”s south pole. Apollo 17 in 1972 was the last crewed mission to the Moon, and no Americans have stepped foot on the moon”s surface since then.
According to NASA, the Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services contract has a combined maximum potential value of $4.6 billion. Out of the three firms, the space agency is planning to select one company to conduct a test run for their LTV prior to the arrival of crew for the Artemis 5 mission. This most ambitious mission is scheduled for 2029. NASA explained that each provider will begin with a feasibility task order, which will be a year-long special study to build a system that meets specific requirements.
“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,” said Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, in a press release. NASA also mentioned that the LTV will feature advanced technologies and will be able to handle the extreme conditions at the Moon’s South Pole. Artemis missions are expected to lay the groundwork for future missions to Mars.
