NASA is gearing up to send astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time in more than 50 years, and they're not going to be hoofing it across the dunes. The agency has narrowed its search for a next-generation Moon rover to three contenders. The proposed designs come from Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost, and Venturi Astrolab. In the coming year, all three will produce a feasibility study that will make the case for their design to go to the Moon.
Unlike the decades-old Apollo Program, NASA intends Artemis to lead to a long-term human presence on the Moon. As NASA and its private aerospace partners begin developing the first semi-permanent infrastructure, astronauts will need reliable surface transportation. That's where the lunar terrain vehicle (LTV) project comes in.
"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 of the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at NASA. The agency put out the call for a vehicle that could get astronauts around the surface while also serving as an autonomous platform between crewed excursions. The applicants needed to propose a plan for end-to-end management of the LTV program, including development, delivery to the Moon, and control of surface operations.
The three finalists offered the best preliminary designs, earning them a shot at a $4.6 billion fixed-price contract. The next step will be for Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost, and Venturi Astrolab to produce a study that will be due in one year that details how each company's Moon Buggy will fulfill the requirements of NASA's contract. So far, all we've seen are the sleek promo images, like the Moon Racer from Intuitive Machines (below) and Venturi Astrolab's FLEX (above), but NASA will provide more details as the program proceeds.
This project will take years to reach a final product. Even with the latest Artemis delays, NASA does not intend to have the LTV ready for the first two crewed landings. Instead, it aims to have the first LTV unit delivered for Artemis V in September 2029 or later. This will also be the first Artemis mission to rely on the Blue Origin landing craft instead of the SpaceX Starship HLS.
NASA may also make additional orders for unpressurized surface vehicles from the eventual contract winner through 2039. The agency is vague about what those orders might entail, but it probably won't know what additional capabilities it may need until crewed lunar operations get underway. The current timeline calls for Artemis III to deliver the first astronauts to the Moon in 2026.
