NASA’s Lunar Rover Plan Stays on Track
NASA is sticking with its plan to have just one company develop the Artemis lunar rover, despite recent setbacks in other programs.
In April, NASA gave contracts to three companies – Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost, and Venturi Astrolab – for the first phase of the Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) Services contract. Starting in May, these companies began working on their rover designs, which will be used by astronauts on future Artemis missions and can be operated remotely when astronauts are not around.
After the designs are complete, NASA will choose one company to build and test the rover on the moon. The rover will be rented out under a services contract and can be offered to other customers when not needed by NASA.
This single-provider approach differs from NASA’s other service contracts, like those for lunar landers and space station missions, where multiple providers ensure key capabilities even if one fails. However, budget constraints mean only one company can be selected for the rover demonstration award, as explained by Chris Hansen from NASA’s Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility program.
In another program, Collins Aerospace decided to stop working on an Exploration Extravehicular Activity Services (xEVAS) task order for developing a new ISS spacesuit. This decision came after winning the task order from NASA in 2022. Collins and Axiom Space were both selected for the xEVAS program, with each company adapting suits for different uses – Axiom for the moonwalks and Collins for the ISS.
Vanessa Wyche from NASA’s Johnson Space Center mentioned at a conference that Axiom will continue working on both deep space and microgravity suits, while Collins steps down. She emphasized the importance of competition and the need for a backup provider in case Axiom faces technical challenges.
But NASA’s experience with Collins hasn’t changed its stance on having just one company for the LTV services contract. Steve Munday, the LTV project manager, noted that limited funding means they can’t support more than one company for the demo phase, even though having multiple providers would be better for competition and reducing risks.
We all wish things could be more flexible sometimes.
During a panel discussion, the three companies didn’t reveal much about their rover designs. They did discuss how NASA will use the rovers and what other customers they might have. NASA has two options: using the rover for five or nine months per Artemis mission.
Trent Martin from Intuitive Machines explained that companies had to show their business case for the rovers, including potential non-NASA users, proving it was financially viable. Forrest Meyen from Lunar Outpost mentioned a “nonlinear model” for rover usage but kept details classified, while John Muratore from Astrolab simply said they’ll stay busy once the rover is on the moon.
It’s fascinating how businesses must adapt and innovate to meet such challenging requirements.
