NASA Advances Moon Base Rovers for Early Development and Exploration

LATEST MATERIAL CHANGE

What changed?

NASA is making progress on its Moon Base program, with commercial lunar terrain vehicles and robotic rovers being developed for early development and exploration. The rovers will play a crucial role in technology demonstrations, astronaut transport, terrain mapping, scientific investigations, and resource prospecting. NASA's VIPER rover will embark on a mission to the lunar South Pole region in 2027 to search for water and other valuable resources. The agency has awarded task orders to Astrolab and Lunar Outpost to build the first phase of Moon Base rovers, which will be delivered to the Moon ahead of crewed Artemis missions. The rovers will be remotely operated from Earth, mapping the lunar surface and collecting information to help scientists learn about operating in the extreme environment. The data collected will inform Moon Base development and improve on design and capability for future mobility systems, hardware, and infrastructure.

Why it matters

The development of Moon Base rovers is a crucial step in establishing a sustainable presence on the Moon, enabling future missions to explore and utilize lunar resources.