What's New
NASA has successfully completed the first round of testing on three Lunar Terrain Vehicles (LTVs) designed to support its Artemis campaign, which is aiming to return humans to the moon by 2027.
The vehicles, developed by Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost and Venturi Astrolab, are undergoing rigorous evaluation at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Testing began in October and wrapped up in December, using static mockups of the vehicles in the Active Response Gravity Offload System (ARGOS) facility, which simulates the moon's low-gravity environment.
"This is the first major test milestone within the Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services contract, and to have actual rovers delivered only four months after these companies were awarded is remarkable," Steve Munday, NASA's Lunar Terrain Vehicle Project Manager, said in a statement.
Why This Matters
The Artemis program aims to land astronauts at the moon's south pole, enabling them to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before.
NASA's current goal to put people on the moon by 2027, more than 50 years after the last astronauts visited Earth's closest neighbor.
Beyond simply reaching the moon, NASA, other space agencies and private entities, have plans to develop a permanent presence on there in the form of moon bases.
LTVs will be critical for transporting astronauts, equipment and scientific tools across the rugged lunar terrain.
What To Know
During the testing, NASA astronauts and engineers donned two types of spacesuits: NASA's Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU) planetary prototype and Axiom Space's Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit lunar spacesuit.
While suspended in ARGOS, which simulates conditions at one sixth of Earth's gravity, astronauts evaluated various aspects of the LTV designs.
Crews performed tasks like storing tools, deploying science payloads and handling cargo.
The researchers also analyzed how easily astronauts could enter and exit the rovers and operate controls while wearing bulky spacesuit gloves.
Crewmembers also practiced rescuing incapacitated astronauts, a critical requirement for LTV design.
"We are excited to have mockups from all three LTV commercial providers here at Johnson Space Center," Munday said.
What's Next
The testing marks a key milestone in the development of LTVs, but the journey is far from over.
The three companies behind the new rovers will continue working on their designs, incorporating NASA's feedback to prepare for a preliminary design review. By 2025, NASA plans to issue a task order for a demonstration mission to test the LTVs' capabilities on the lunar surface.
The LTVs are slated for use during Artemis V, supporting crewed operations on the Moon as NASA builds a foundation for future missions to Mars.
Artemis will bring the next wave of explorers to the moon, including international astronauts and the first women.
Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about the Artemis missions? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.
English (US) ·