NASA Partners with Private Companies to Design Long-Lasting Lunar Rovers
NASA has recently announced its selection of three private companies – Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost, and Venturi Astrolab – to design a lunar rover capable of surviving near the South Pole of the Moon for up to a decade. Each company will work closely with NASA for one year on the preliminary design of their rover, with initial awards worth tens of millions of dollars each.
Following the design phase, NASA will choose at least one company to demonstrate their rover on the lunar surface. This is part of NASA’s $4.6 billion investment in a 10-year service contract, aimed at enhancing exploration capabilities on the Moon.
The selected companies will have the challenging task of creating rovers that can operate autonomously in harsh conditions near the Moon’s South Pole. These rovers must be able to withstand temperature swings of up to 500° Fahrenheit, harsh radiation, and rocky terrain. Additionally, they will need to have a range of at least 20 km a day and support an eight-hour Moonwalk.
This move by NASA reflects its increasing reliance on the commercial space industry for various services. Companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, Collins Aerospace, and Axiom Space have already been providing valuable support in different aspects of space exploration.
The development of these long-lasting lunar rovers marks another exciting milestone in NASA’s efforts to expand human presence on the Moon and beyond. Stay tuned for more updates on this groundbreaking project.
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