NASA Shortlists 3 Companies For Its Next Lunar Rover

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has shortlisted three companies to help it build the lunar exploration vehicle for its Artemis lunar exploration. The three companies – Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost and Venturi Astrolab – are in the running to get task orders amounting to $4.6 billion (roughly ₹38,383 crore). 

The Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) will be deployed at the lunar south pole and will need to be able to handle the harsh conditions and terrains. NASA said the LTV should accommodate two suited astronauts and should have technologies like power management and autonomous driving along with a good communication and navigation system. Between missions, the LTV will be controlled remotely to help with NASA’s research. 

NASA also said the provider of the LTV will have the opportunity to use it for commercial activities on the Moon, unrelated to the space agency. NASA has also given the technical specifications required for the LTV and the three companies have also agreed to it. 

“We will use the LTV to travel to locations we might not otherwise be able to reach on foot, increasing our ability to explore and make new scientific discoveries,” said Jacob Bleacher, chief exploration scientist in the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters in Washington, USA. He added, “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-round.”

Each company first has to begin with the feasibility task order which will be a year-long study to develop a system that meets NASA’s requirements. Post that, NASA will request a proposal for a demonstration to continue the development of the LTV, deliver it to the Moon’s surface and validate the performance and safety of the Artemis mission. 

Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, said, “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.”