NASA picks three companies to construct a vehicle for Artemis astronauts on the moon

The Artemis mission astronauts will use a lunar terrain vehicle (LTV) to explore the mountainous and cratered lunar south pole. NASA has chosen three companies to design the vehicle.

The extreme environmental conditions at the lunar south pole include temperatures ranging from 54°C to -203°C. Additionally, there are many shadowed areas that have been without sunlight for billions of years.The LTV will be built to withstand the challenging conditions at the south pole and support exploration with or without a crew.

Three designers have been selected to create the moon car for NASA. Credit: Intuitive Machines NASA sought proposals for the LTV from May 26 to July 10, 2023, and three companies – Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost, and Venturi Astrolab – were chosen out of many submissions.

“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,” Jacob Bleacher, a scientist at NASA, said in a press release.

Introducing the companies selected by NASA for the LTV project:

Despite a challenging landing, the spacecraft operated near the south pole and collected data for a week.

A concept of LTV. Credit: Intuitive MachinesLunar Outpost is a Colorado-based company that recently won a contract from the US Air Force to develop Mobile Autonomous Robotic Swarms (MARS) software. Venturi Astrolab specializes in creating electric, solar, and hybrid vehicles designed to endure challenging terrains. In the next 12 months, each company must submit their LTV concepts for NASA’s feasibility task order. Following this, they will build and demonstrate the vehicles' capabilities as well as provide deployment details for the moon.

NASA specifies that the proposed LTV should accommodate two astronauts and possess a self-driving feature. This will allow the vehicle to explore the moon autonomously when astronauts are not present. Additionally, the vehicle must have a robust power system to support long missions, along with advanced communication and navigation technologies. The chosen company will receive a “rover as a service contract” from NASA until 2039, ensuring ongoing support for the vehicle.

first crewed Artemis mission

due in September 2025. LTV won’t deployed to the moon before the Artemis 5 mission which is expected to launch in September 2029. The design, testing, and deployment process will take years to complete..

“The contract request for proposal required each provider to propose a solution to provide end-to-end services, including LTV development, delivery to the moon, and execution of operations on the lunar surface,” NASA stated.

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The lunar south pole is known for its deadly environment conditions. To explore this region our astronauts need a robust moon car.

The selected company will receive a “rover as a service contract” from NASA that will last until 2039. However, that doesn’t mean you will be seeing astronauts driving the moon car right after the launch of Artemis 2, the first crewed Artemis mission due in September 2025.

LTV won’t deployed to the moon before the Artemis 5 mission which is expected to launch in September 2029. The design, testing, and deployment process will take years to complete.

Hopefully, when the vehicle is ready, “it 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 Houston-based Johnson Space Center.