Over the last few weeks NASA has announced a plethora of partnerships and contracts for lunar rovers that astronauts will eventually use on future Artemis missions. Those rovers will of course need a ride to the Moon, which will come in the like of cargo variants of NASA’s HLS landers, Starship and Blue Moon.
NASA will have three options for US Artemis rovers
On April 3, NASA awarded three contracts to Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost, and Astrolab to conduct feasibility studies for each team’s respective lunar rover.
Similar to what was used during the Apollo Moon landings, these rovers will be unpressurized. Meaning that Artemis astronauts will need to remain suited un in Axiom’s xEVA suits while using. However, these landers will also be required to be remote controllable when astronauts aren’t present and feature a robotic arm for lunar operations.
Below are the NASA Lunar Terrain Vehicle contract teams:
- Moon RACER: Intuitive Machines (Prime), AVL, Boeing, Michelin, and Northrop Grumman
- Lunar Dawn: Lunar Outpost (Prime), Lockheed Martin, General Motors, Goodyear, MDA Space
- FLEX: Astrolab (Prime), Axiom Space, Odyssey Space Research
Only one of these teams will be selected for a demo mission and then future task orders for use during Artemis missions. The total value of the contract is worth $4.6 billion and will also give the winner the freedom to use its rover on the Moon for commercial missions when not in use by NASA.
Japan trades pressurized rover for nation’s first moonwalkers
When it comes to a pressurized lunar rover, Japan has signed a deal with NASA to take the lead in building the “Lunar Cruiser” with Toyota. The Japanese rover will allow for longer duration distant exploration of the lunar South Pole and operate almost like its own lunar outpost.
Equipped with deployable solar panels, cargo space to deploy surface equipment and experiments, and the ability to explore the Moon without a space suit on, this is the lunar rover the Apollo astronauts could only dream about.
In exchange for their development of the rover, Japan will get a seat on a future Artemis mission that will land on the lunar surface. NASA even states that this Japanese astronaut will be the first non-American to land on the Moon.
While European and Canadian space agencies have signed agreements for similar technology-seat swaps, those missions are not expected to make any lunar landings. So while NASA remains confident Japan will be the next nation to add moonwalkers to its astronaut corp, Japan will have to work hard to beat China there by 2030.
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New renders of cargo Starship and Blue Moon landers
Now with lunar rovers come landers capable of delivering them to the surface of the Moon.
The biggest news out of Artemis this week was NASA’s announcement that it exercised contract options with both SpaceX and Blue Origin to turn each respective HLS landers into cargo landers for future uncrewed, landings.
While Intuitive Machines plans to use their own lander if selected, the other three will need rides to the Moon and a way to land softly on the surface. Both SpaceX and Blue Origin were already planning cargo variations of their Starship and Blue Moon landers, however, now NASA will be an official customer after enacting the options in each HLS contract last November.
The new renders shared by NASA show much larger cranes for handling bulk cargo unlike the smaller elevators or ladders for crews. This will be needed for more than just rovers as NASA plans to build a permanent lunar base that will last decades.
SpaceX too plans to build a lunar base on its way to colonizing Mars, so the external investment by NASA is just a win win for them.
Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 lander will be cargo only ahead of its crewed capable Mark 2. With the growth of interest in lunar exploration, it will be beneficial for Blue Origin to also have a full size cargo lunar lander.
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