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The US space agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), has named three companies to develop a rover for the first crewed mission to the Moon since 1972.
Texas-based Intuitive Machines, which landed a robot near the moon’s south pole in February; Colorado’s Lunar Outpost and California’s Venturi Astrolabe have been tasked with developing the design under a contract with a combined maximum potential value of $4.6 billion, NASA said in a statement Wednesday.
Also read: NASA will bring a new clock to the Moon, where seconds pass faster
“We are building the capabilities needed to establish long-term exploration and presence of the Moon,” said Jacob Bleacher, NASA’s chief exploration scientist.
“I love imagining the views and landscapes that LTV will enable us to see from the surface of the Moon,” he said.
artemis 5 mission
NASA will select one of these companies to test its Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) before the arrival of the crew for the Artemis 5 mission.
The Artemis missions, since Apollo 17 in 1972, have aimed to return humans to the Moon.
Also read: Japan’s moon lander achieves successful soft landing, resumes operations
Nomad
Intuitive Machines has been awarded an initial $30 million to advance its prototype, called the Reusable Autonomous Crew Exploration Rover (RACER), with partners including AVL, Boeing, Michelin and Northrop Grumman.
Astrolabe’s contract could be worth “up to $1.9 billion” for its Flexible Logistics and Exploration (Flex) rover, which it is building with Axiom Space and Odyssey Space Research.
“The Flex rover is designed to carry two suitable astronauts, support scientific exploration with a robotic arm, perform cargo logistics and withstand the extreme temperatures at the lunar south pole,” the company said in a statement.
“We look forward to the development of the Artemis generation lunar exploration vehicle to help advance what we learn on the Moon,” Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, said in a statement.
“This vehicle will significantly enhance the ability of our astronauts to explore and conduct science on the lunar surface, while also serving as a science platform between crewed missions,” he said.
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Published: 04 April 2024, 05:13 PM IST
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