The U.S. and Japan are working together to advance rovers to further explore the moon. Above, a rover model is displayed at the U.S. Department of State in Washington April 11. (State Dept./Caroline Jevon)
When NASA astronaut David Scott became the first person to drive on the moon July 31, 1971, his seat resembled a lawn chair and his vehicle averaged 9 kilometers per hour. Yet he described the rover as “about as optimum as you can build.” After all, it allowed Scott and his Apollo 15 crew to explore more of the moon than astronauts before them had.
Decades later, NASA is working with the U.S. private sector and Japan to advance far more sophisticated vehicles that will allow astronauts to explore the moon’s rugged south pole, where night lasts two weeks and temperatures can drop to minus 173 degrees Celsius.
On April 10, NASA and Japan reached an agreement to send a pressurized rover to the moon. Japan will build a rover that will accommodate two astronauts for 30 days, allowing for greater exploration of the moon’s surface. NASA will deliver the vehicle to the moon, and plans to transport two Japanese astronauts to the moon as part of a future Artemis mission.
Meanwhile, NASA also has invited three U.S. companies — Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost and Venturi Astrolab — to advance technologies to support a 21st-century rover that will await its astronaut drivers when they arrive on the moon during an Artemis mission planned for 2029.
“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,” said Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, while announcing the partnership with U.S. companies.
Through the Artemis program, NASA works with the private sector and partner nations as they prepare to return astronauts to the moon and explore Mars. Three dozen countries, including the U.S., Australia, Colombia and Japan, have signed on to the Artemis Accords, outlining principles for cooperation in the peaceful exploration of space.
By contracting with industry to advance rover technology, NASA is tapping into the innovation and good value the U.S. private sector can bring to a project. Some features planned for a future rover include:
State-of-the-art communications and navigation systems, including autonomous driving.
Protection from the moon’s extreme environment.
A cargo bed that includes or can accommodate a robotic arm to support exploration.
The ability to operate remotely to continue research between astronaut missions.
David Scott in the Lunar Roving Vehicle in 1971 (NASA)
Lunar Outpost, which is based in Colorado, says its plans call for “a flight deck-forward design that provides expansive views for navigating the challenging lunar environment.”
In February, Houston-based Intuitive Machines delivered equipment to the moon for a NASA-supported mission — the first U.S. lunar landing since the Apollo missions, which put the first man on the moon and Scott in the first driver’s seat on its surface.
The next-generation vehicle will take us “to places never visited by astronauts,” NASA says. “Harsh landscape, extreme cold and limited sunlight at the moon’s south pole demand a truly off-road and off-planet vehicle.”
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