NASA is developing this futuristic Lunar Terrain Vehicle For Its Artemis Crewed Missions
NASA plans to return humans to the moon in this decade. The American space agency is also working towards sending the crew to the lunar surface with several futuristic technologies to make their tasks on the moon much easier. One of these technologies is the Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV), which will enable astronauts to travel a great distance on the lunar south pole, making more discoveries for humanity.
So, how is NASA developing this futuristic Vehicle? How will it help Artemis astronauts navigate across the lunar south pole? Continue reading to find out.
How NASA is developing its Futuristic Lunar Terrain Vehicle for Artemis Astronauts
In April 2024, NASA contracted three companies to develop Lunar Terrain Vehicle services. These companies, including Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost, and Venturi Astrolab were to develop these rovers powerful enough to drive astronauts across the lunar surface without breaking down.
NASA intends to carry out the test unit of these rovers on Earth without having to go to the moon. This is to enable companies contracted for this project to develop extra rover prototypes and make great progress until they actualize a greater result.
NASA hopes that one of these vendors will surely come up with a great crewed rover concept that will enable it to achieve its lunar exploration goals in September 2026 and beyond. The American Space Agency hopes that data obtained from the Ground Testing Unit (GTU) of these rovers will help these commercial aerospace companies improve their rover designs.
NASA anticipates each of its rover designs to meet the engineering requirements of its Lunar Terrain Vehicle. The agency mandates its contractors to develop the LTV rover based on already existing GTU capabilities.
Some of these capabilities demand that the Lunar terrain vehicle be built to carry up to two astronauts on board and perform several control concepts on its own like different drive modes, supervised autonomy, and self-leveling.
NASA contracted three vendors to choose the best rover design for its mission. During the Apollo Crow missions in the 1970s, NASA also built Lunar Roving Vehicles for its Apollo 15, 16, and 17 missions. But unlike the Lunar Roving Vehicle, the Lunar Terrain Vehicle undergoing development for the Artemis crewed mission will have advanced futuristic technologies to make the mission less complex for the astronauts.
How the Vehicle Will Help Astronauts Drive Across the Moon
NASA has already contracted three companies to build the Lunar Terrain Vehicle that will be remotely operated on the moon with multiple controls. Once the agency selects the best-crewed rover from one of these vendors, NASA astronauts will test its functionalities on Earth ahead of the actual ride on the lunar south pole.
During the launch of the Artemis 3 mission, the traveling astronauts will fly to the moon carrying the Lunar Terrain Vehicle. Once they arrive on the moon, aboard the SpaceX starship, they will commence with operation, conducting different science experiments.
NASA will surely mandate them to drive around the lunar south pole to explore new locations, away from their spaceship. The crew will use the vehicle to travel and accomplish the mission requirements.
Unlike the Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle, this futuristic vehicle will make the ride smooth and quite fascinating for the astronauts. After the Artemis 3 mission, NASA will use the data obtained from the LTV rover to build better rovers for its future Artemis crewed missions.
In conclusion, while we await to see astronauts drive around the moon with the vehicle in September 2026, it is important to learn the step-by-step approach these three companies are following to develop these futuristic rovers. What do you think about this exciting update of the Lunar Terrain Vehicle?