NASA has announced the selection of three companies – Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost, and Venturi Astrolab – to advance the development of a Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) for Artemis missions. These vehicles will play a crucial role in facilitating scientific research and exploration activities on the lunar surface, serving as a key component of NASA's Artemis campaign and preparations for future missions to Mars.
The awards granted to these companies leverage NASA's extensive experience in rover development and operations, aiming to build commercial capabilities that support both scientific discovery and long-term human exploration objectives on the moon. The LTV is slated to be utilized for crewed operations starting from Artemis V, significantly enhancing astronauts' ability to conduct research and exploration while serving as a science platform between crewed missions.
Under the terms of the Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services contract, NASA will acquire the LTV as a service from industry, with a combined maximum potential value of $4.6 billion for all awards. Each provider will commence with a feasibility task order, involving a year-long special study to develop a system meeting NASA's requirements through the preliminary design maturity phase. Following this, a request for task order proposal will be issued for a demonstration mission to validate the LTV's performance and safety ahead of Artemis V, with NASA anticipating making an award to only one provider for this demonstration.
The LTV is designed to withstand the extreme conditions at the moon's South Pole and will incorporate advanced technologies for power management, autonomous driving, and state-of-the-art communications and navigation systems. Its capabilities will enable astronauts to explore, transport scientific equipment, and collect samples across greater distances than previously possible on foot, thereby enhancing scientific returns from lunar missions.
Moreover, during periods between Artemis missions, when crews are not present on the moon, the LTV will operate remotely to support NASA's scientific objectives as required. Additionally, the selected provider will have the opportunity to utilize the LTV for commercial lunar surface activities unrelated to NASA missions during these intervals.
Through the Artemis program, NASA aims to send astronauts, including the first woman, first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut, to explore the moon for scientific discovery, technological advancement, economic benefits, and as a stepping stone towards crewed missions to Mars. The program encompasses advanced rovers, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the Orion spacecraft, commercial human landing systems, next-generation spacesuits, and the Gateway, forming the foundation for deep space exploration endeavors.
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