Lunar Terrain Vehicle
{{Short description|Under development lunar rover}}
{{Infobox automobile
| name = Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV)
| image = Lunar_Terrain_Vehicle_2022.png
| caption = Artist's impression the Lunar Terrain Vehicle on the lunar surface
| manufacturer = TBD
| aka =
| production = 2029 (est.)
| assembly =
| designer = TBD
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| sp = us
| predecessor = Lunar Rover Vehicle
}}
The Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) is an unpressurized rover being developed for NASA that astronauts can drive on the Moon while wearing their spacesuits. The development of the LTV is a part of NASA's Artemis program, which involves returning astronauts to the Moon, specifically the lunar south pole, by 2026, but the LTV will not fly until Artemis V in 2030 at the earliest. The LTV will be the first crewed lunar rover developed by NASA since the Lunar Roving Vehicle used during the Apollo program.
History
On February 6, 2020, NASA issued a request, seeking industry feedback on relevant state-of-the-art commercial technologies and acquisition strategies for a new Lunar Terrain Vehicle. NASA also stated in the request that they want the new LTV to draw on recent innovations in electric vehicle energy storage and management, autonomous driving, and extreme environment resistance."{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-to-industry-send-ideas-for-lunar-rovers|date=February 6, 2020 |title=NASA to Industry: Send Ideas for Lunar Rovers |work=NASA |access-date=February 14, 2022}}
On August 31, 2021, NASA released another request to private companies for additional input on approaches and solutions for a vehicle to transport Artemis astronauts around the lunar south pole. NASA also asked if American companies are interested in providing the LTV as a commercial service, or as a product NASA would purchase and own.{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-prompts-companies-for-artemis-lunar-terrain-vehicle-solutions|date=August 31, 2021 |title=NASA Prompts Companies for Artemis Lunar Terrain Vehicle Solutions |work=NASA |access-date=December 3, 2021}}
On November 2, 2022, NASA issued a draft request for proposals (RFP) for the LTV as a service (LTVS).{{cite web | url=https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-makes-progress-with-new-lunar-terrain-vehicle-moon-rover-services | title=NASA Makes Progress with New Lunar Terrain Vehicle Moon Rover Services | date=2 November 2022 }} The draft was open for feedback until December 1, with a planned final RFP release date of on or about February 8, 2023, a proposals due date approximately 30 days later, and an anticipated contract award date of on or about July 19.{{cn|date=June 2025}}
On January 27, 2023, NASA published an update stating that it anticipated that the LTVS final RFP release will be delayed until no later than May 26.{{cite web|url=https://sam.gov/opp/3b0254142d8e44dfb0f0c733f4d3fc9f/view|title=SAM.Gov Lunar Terrain Vehicle opportunity |website=sam.gov|access-date=April 22, 2023}} On May 26, NASA released its services request for the Lunar Terrain Vehicle, with proposals due on July 10 and a contract award scheduled for November.{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-pursues-lunar-terrain-vehicle-services-for-artemis-missions|date=May 26, 2023 |title=NASA Pursues Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services for Artemis Missions|work=NASA|access-date=May 30, 2023}} On October 30, NASA delayed the award of the contract to March 31, 2024, to allow additional time to evaluate proposals.{{cite web |url=https://spacenews.com/nasa-delays-artemis-lunar-rover-award-by-four-months/|date=November 4, 2023 |title=NASA delays Artemis lunar rover award by four months |work=SpaceNews|access-date=November 5, 2023}}
On April 3, 2024, NASA announced that Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost and Venturi Astrolab are the three companies developing the LTV as part of a 12-month feasibility and demo phase.{{cite news |last=Chang |first=Kenneth |title=NASA Picks 3 Companies to Help Astronauts Drive Around the Moon - The agency's future moon buggies will reach speeds of 9.3 miles per hour and will be capable of self-driving.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/03/science/moon-nasa-lunar-terrain-vehicle.html |date=3 April 2024 |work=The New York Times |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20240404031214/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/03/science/moon-nasa-lunar-terrain-vehicle.html |archivedate=4 April 2024 |accessdate=4 April 2024 }}{{Cite web |title=NASA Selects Companies to Advance Moon Mobility for Artemis Missions - NASA |url=https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-selects-companies-to-advance-moon-mobility-for-artemis-missions/ |access-date=2024-04-03 |language=en-US}} A source selection statement by NASA provided further details on cost and overall feasibility on 9 April 2024. The Intuitive Machines proposal was for $1.692 billion, Lunar Outpost for $1.727 billion and Astrolab for $1.928 billion to develop the vehicle.{{Cite web |last=Foust |first=Jeff |date=2024-04-15 |title=NASA document outlines selection of lunar rover companies |url=https://spacenews.com/nasa-document-outlines-selection-of-lunar-rover-companies/ |access-date=2024-04-15 |website=SpaceNews |language=en-US}}
= Proposals =
Five proposals for a Lunar Terrain Vehicle have been publicly unveiled since NASA's initial request.
- On May 26, 2021, Lockheed Martin and General Motors announced they would be teaming up to design a Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) for NASA capable of transporting astronauts across the lunar surface.{{cite web |title=Lockheed Martin, General Motors Team Up to Develop Next-Generation Lunar Rover for NASA Artemis Astronauts to Explore the Moon|url=https://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/home.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2021/may/0526-lockheed.html |website=media.gm.com |date=November 16, 2021 |access-date=December 3, 2021 |language=en}} On April 5, 2022, MDA Ltd. announced they would work with Lockheed Martin and General Motors to integrate MDA's commercial robotic arm technology on their planned human-rated lunar mobility vehicles.{{cite web |title=MDA Joins Lockheed Martin and General Motors On Next Generation Lunar Rover Development|url=https://mda.space/en/article/mda-joins-lockheed-martin-and-general-motors-on-lunar-rover/|website=mda.space |date=April 5, 2022 |access-date=April 7, 2022|language=en}} On July 20, 2022, Goodyear announced they would join Lockheed Martin and General Motors and develop tires for the LTV drawing from its advanced airless tire technology.{{cite web |title=GOODYEAR JOINS LOCKHEED MARTIN TO COMMERCIALIZE LUNAR MOBILITY|url=https://corporate.goodyear.com/content/goodyear-corp/us/en/media/news/goodyear-joins-lockheed-martin-to-commercialize-lunar-mobility.html|website=corporate.goodyear.com|date=July 20, 2022 |access-date=July 21, 2022 |language=en}}
- On November 16, 2021, Northrop Grumman announced they would team up with AVL, Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost, and Michelin to design a Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) to transport NASA's Artemis astronauts around the lunar surface.{{cite web |title=Northrop Grumman Announces Team for NASA's Next-Generation Lunar Terrain Vehicle|url=https://news.northropgrumman.com/news/releases/northrop-grumman-announces-team-for-nasas-next-generation-lunar-terrain-vehicle |website=news.northropgrumman.com |date=November 16, 2021 |access-date=December 3, 2021 |language=en}}
- On April 7, 2022, Teledyne Brown Engineering announced that it would lead a team including Sierra Space and Nissan North America to design a crewed Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) that will support future exploration on the Moon.{{cite web |title=Teledyne, Sierra Space and Nissan Designing Next-Generation Lunar Terrain Vehicle for NASA|url=https://www.tbe.com/en-us/news-and-media/Pages/teledyne-sierra-space-and-nissan-designing-next-generation-lunar-terrain-vehicle-for-nasa.aspx|website=tbe.com|date=April 7, 2022 |access-date=April 7, 2022 |language=en}} On September 22, 2022, Teledyne announced that Bridgestone would also join its team and provide tires for the LTV.{{cite web |title=Bridgestone Joins Teledyne Lunar Terrain Vehicle Development Team|url=https://huntsvillebusinessjournal.com/lead/2022/09/21/bridgestone-joins-teledyne-lunar-terrain-vehicle-development-team/|website=huntsvillebusinessjournal.com|date=September 11, 2022 |access-date=November 7, 2022 |language=en}}
- On March 31, 2023, Astrolab Inc. announced that they expected to offer their FLEX (Flexible Logistics and Exploration) rover for the upcoming LTV competition.{{cite web |last=Foust |first=Jeff |url=https://spacenews.com/astrolab-to-send-rover-to-the-moon-on-spacexs-starship/ |title=Astrolab to send rover to the moon on SpaceX's Starship |work=SpaceNews |date=March 31, 2023 |access-date=April 5, 2023}}
- On April 17, 2023, Leidos and NASCAR announced they would collaborate in the areas of speed, safety and reliability to develop a Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) for NASA.{{cite web |title=Leidos, NASCAR speed into Lunar Rover race |url=https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2023/04/18/leidos-nascar-speed-into-lunar-rover-race/|website=nascar.com|date=April 17, 2023 |access-date=May 10, 2023 |language=en}}
Plans
{{As of|2023|03}} NASA plans to launch the Lunar Terrain Vehicle on Artemis V, which is expected to launch no earlier than March 2030.{{cite web |last=Foust |first=Jeff |url=https://spacenews.com/nasa-planning-to-spend-up-to-1-billion-on-space-station-deorbit-module/ |title=NASA planning to spend up to $1 billion on space station deorbit module |work=SpaceNews |date=13 March 2023 |access-date=13 March 2023}}
See also
- Space Exploration Vehicle, previous NASA concept for a multipurpose crewed rover
References
{{reflist}}
{{Lunar Rovers}}
{{Artemis program}}
Category:Public–private partnership projects in the United States