NASA’s generic concept for the Lunar Terrain Vehicle. Credit NASA
NASA selects companies to Advance Moon Mobility for Artemis Missions.
NASA has chosen Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost, and Venturi Astrolab to enhance the lunar terrain vehicle (LTV) for Artemis astronauts exploring the Moon. These companies will develop vehicles for scientific research and preparation for future Mars missions.
Intuitive Machines’ Lunar RACER LTV. Intuitive Machines
NASA plans to procure the LTV through industry services under an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract worth up to $4.6 billion, with firm-fixed-price task orders.
The LTV will be able to handle the extreme conditions at the Moon’s South Pole and will feature advanced technologies for power management, autonomous driving, and state-of-the-art communications and navigation systems.
Lunar Outpost’s Lunar Dawn LTV. Lunar Outpost
Crews will use the LTV to explore, transport scientific equipment, and collect samples of the lunar surface, much farther than they could on foot, enabling increased science returns.
Astrolab’s FLEX LTV. Astrolab
“We look forward to the development of the Artemis generation lunar exploration vehicle to help us advance what we learn at the Moon,” said Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “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.”
source NASA
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