NASA is working on exploring the moon and designing a rover to explore the lunar surface. According to a new report, the US space agency is looking into the operating rovers on Mars as an inspiration for its new lunar terrain vehicle (LTV).
New Lunar Cars Will Be Based From Mars Rovers
In addition to carrying a crew of two astronauts to and from the moon's surface, the new lunar terrain vehicle (LTV) NASA is designing will also have some autonomy to carry out independent tests. The LTV will gather samples and carry out analyses while being controlled remotely, much like the Perseverance or Curiosity rovers on Mars, Space.com reported.
Currently, NASA is soliciting applications from private businesses for a contract to provide LTV services for upcoming Artemis moon missions. The deadline for LTV bids is July 10, according to the Request for Proposal (RFP), released on May 26.
NASA has released a list of service and design specifications for potential LTV manufacturers to use as a basis for submissions. LTV candidates must provide end-to-end services as part of their contract, "from development and delivery to the lunar surface, to execution of operations," according to a NASA release. This requirement is similar to NASA's strategy with SpaceX's Crew Dragon and the commercial crew program to transport astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).
To give the LTV autonomous functionality, NASA's Artemis program, which will send astronauts back to the lunar surface for the first time in more than 50 years, will provide astronauts with missions, will equip the LTV with a variety of scientific instruments, a robotic arm, and prospecting tools.
In November 2022, Artemis I launched an unmanned Orion capsule into lunar orbit. Artemis II will launch for the same mission with astronauts in 2024.
The program's first lunar landing, Artemis III, is expected to take place in late 2025. However, The proposed LTV wouldn't actually participate in any of those operations.
The New LTV Won't Operate Until Artemis 5
The new LTV won't be part of the upcoming Artemis missions. According to the report, it won't be until Artemis 5, in 2029, that crewed operations with the new LTV are anticipated to start. However, NASA intends to use the LTV long before humans arrive and wants to use it for more than just transporting astronauts and goods between habitats.
NASA anticipates that the LTV will make locating resources on the lunar surface easier. The lunar south pole is a target for NASA's crewed Artemis missions because of the number of resources there, including water ice, which may be processed to provide a variety of essentials from potable water to rocket fuel.
Long-term space missions require in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), which uses local resources to supplement supplies on interplanetary journeys.
The LTV will need to be able to function and navigate in a wide range of environmental conditions and extreme temperature fluctuations, as well as maintain power during protracted periods of darkness when its solar panels are rendered useless. It must survive traversing the hostile environment of the lunar south pole. Future lunar habitat locations will need to be better guided by the new LTV, which must be able to survey areas that may be resource-rich.
NASA intends to reveal its choice for the LTV contract award in November. Before NASA approves the LTV for crewed operation, whichever design is chosen, the business will have to demonstrate the vehicle's capabilities on the lunar surface.
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