NASA picked three private space companies to create self-driving moon vehicles that the space agency could use to transport people and goods on the moon.
Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost and Venturi Astrolab were chosen to create a Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) for astronauts to explore the moon and operate without their presence.
“We are excited for the development of the Artemis generation lunar exploration vehicle to help us advance what we learn at the Moon,” said Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on Wednesday. statement. “This vehicle will greatly increase our astronauts’ ability to explore and conduct science on the lunar surface while also serving as a science platform between crewed missions.”
The contracts with the companies have a maximum potential value of $4.6 billion combined.
The companies will be able to use the LTVs for commercial use outside the NASA missions.
“We will use the LTV to explore locations we might not otherwise be able to reach on foot, increasing our ability to make new scientific discoveries,” said Jacob Bleacher, the chief exploration scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
“With the Artemis crewed missions, and during remote operations when there is not a crew on the surface, we are enabling science and discovery on the Moon year around.”
The selection showcases another NASA push for their Artemis program, which has already received tens of billions of dollars, and investments in new technologies like energy generation and mining.
The contracts will allow companies to work on their designs for the next year and strategize plans on how to get the rovers to the moon. NASA will then pick one of the contractors to move forward with the design.
