Three companies will build lunar vehicles on behalf of the American space agency NASA. The private space companies Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost and Venturi Astrolab were selected for the 4.3 billion euro contract.
Each of the three companies will now work on a prototype for a year before deciding which vehicle will be sent to the moon, how and when.
The companies have all been active in similar areas for quite some time. Intuitive Machines completed the first unmanned commercial landing on the moon in February.
In the future, astronauts will be able to travel on the moon’s surface using so-called “Lunar Terrain Vehicles”.
Moon missions place high demands on rovers
The vehicles must be able to withstand the extreme conditions on the moon, among other things, and high requirements are also imposed on power supply, autonomous driving, communication and navigation.
“These vehicles will significantly enhance astronauts’ ability to explore the moon’s surface and conduct research,” said Vanessa Wyche, head of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
“At the same time, they will provide a scientific platform between manned missions.”
The “Artemis” program returns people to the moon
With the ‘Artemis’ program, named after the Greek goddess of the moon, NASA wants to put people on the moon for the first time in more than half a century – including the first non-white and the first woman. The long-term goal of ‘Artemis’ is to establish a permanent lunar base as a base for missions to Mars.
However, NASA had to postpone the manned lunar orbit “Artemis 2”, which was actually planned for November 2024, until September 2025 due to problems with the rocket and spacecraft, and the planned manned lunar landing “Artemis 3” until September 2026. is the competition from China , which aims to put people on the moon by 2030.
Source: Krone
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