Astronauts to drive around in Moon cars that will be brought to life by these three companies

Washington DC

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has named three companies to advance capabilities for a lunar terrain vehicle (LTV)- a rover that astronauts will drive on the Moon. In a statement, NASA said on Wednesday (Apr 3) that astronauts will use the LTV to travel around the lunar surface, conducting scientific research during the Artemis campaign on the Moon and preparing for human missions to Mars.

The companies that have been chosen are- Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost, and Venturi Astrolab. 

“We look forward to the development of the Artemis generation lunar exploration vehicle to help us advance what we learn at the Moon,” Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, said on Wednesday.

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“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,” Wyche added. 

The contract

The statement said that NASA would acquire the LTV as a service from industry. "The indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, milestone-based Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services contract with firm-fixed-price task orders has a combined maximum potential value of $4.6 billion for all awards," the statement said. 

Each provider would begin with a feasibility task order, which would be a year-long special study to develop a system that meets NASA’s requirements through the preliminary design maturity project phase.

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The American space agency would issue a subsequent request for task order proposal to the eligible provider(s) for a demonstration mission to continue developing the LTV, deliver it to the surface of the Moon, and validate its performance and safety ahead of Artemis V. 

"NASA will issue additional task orders to provide unpressurized rover capabilities for the agency’s moonwalking and scientific exploration needs through 2039," the statement further added. 

'Explore, transport, collect samples'

NASA said that the LTV would be able to handle the extreme conditions at the Moon's South Pole. Crews would use the terrain vehicle to explore, transport scientific equipment, and collect samples of the lunar surface, much farther than they could on foot, enabling increased science returns.

"Between Artemis missions, when crews are not on the Moon, the LTV will operate remotely to support NASA’s scientific objectives as needed," the statement also said.