Lunar Outpost teams with Lockheed Martin
and Industry to develop a human-rated Moon rover as part of the
agency's Artemis campaign
DENVER, April 3,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA has awarded a Lunar
Terrain Vehicle Services (LTVS) contract to the Lunar Dawn team,
led by Lunar Outpost as the prime contractor along with its
principal partner Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) and teammates General
Motors (GM), The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, and MDA Space.
The diverse team combines proven robotic and human space
exploration heritage, cutting edge technology and automotive
industry strengths to create a true off-road vehicle for living and
working on the Moon's surface.
The Mission
This next-generation Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) will enable the
exploration of the surface of the Moon in unprecedented fashion as
part of NASA's Artemis campaign. It will dramatically extend the
range that astronauts can travel from their landing sites as they
perform high-priority science investigations on the Moon. When not
in use by NASA, the LTV will provide commercial services,
contributing to a more accessible and sustainable cislunar
economy.
"Surface mobility is a critical capability for humanity's future
in space, and Lunar Outpost looks forward to driving value in the
cislunar economy by providing a reliable, safe and capable vehicle
that will be used to provide mobility to Artemis astronauts and
perform critical missions autonomously on the Moon for commercial
endeavors," said Lunar Outpost CEO, Justin
Cyrus. "We look forward to leveraging the strengths of
Lockheed Martin, a company with extensive human and advanced space
systems experience, and our other industry teammates, GM, Goodyear
and MDA Space, to provide an unparalleled technical offering at a
commercially viable price point."
The Vehicle
The Lunar Dawn LTV will afford Artemis astronauts with an
exceptional experience rooted in safety and convenience, including
a flight deck-forward design that provides expansive views for
navigating the challenging lunar environment.
"These unique technologies will enable the future of critical
infrastructure required for a sustainable presence in space where
humans can live, work far from Earth," said Kirk Shireman, vice president of Lunar
Exploration Campaigns at Lockheed Martin. "Lockheed Martin is
thrilled to be combining expertise with a diverse set of companies
to embark on this next generation rover that will expand
exploration and our understanding of the lunar surface."
The Lunar Dawn team's vehicle exceeds all the requirements set
forth by NASA and was designed with mission growth capability in
mind. Several of the vehicle's capabilities and features
include:
- Advanced autonomous navigation and operation, with or without
astronauts onboard.
- Capabilities for robust and diverse commercial use, including
a reconfigurable cargo bed that allows for the changing of
payloads with its robust robotic arm.
- The ability to not only survive, but to operate, during the
two-week long lunar nights with temperatures down to -280 degrees
Fahrenheit; this novel technology extends mission life from days to
many years.
The Industry Team
The Lunar Dawn team is comprised of titans of their respective
industries, who have been selected for their leading technology and
proven ability to deliver space systems that can reliably operate
in the toughest conditions.
As the lead of the Lunar Dawn Team, Lunar Outpost is pioneering
a new teaming paradigm for the space industry. Lunar Outpost brings
its speed and agility, track record of venture capital investors,
keen understanding of the commercial market and direct lunar rover
experience to this program. Lunar Outpost specializes in advanced
spacecraft and robotic systems. As the only company presently
contracted to design four lunar rovers and two already built and
qualified, Lunar Outpost is the leading commercial planetary
mobility provider. Lunar Outpost's commercial Lunar Rover missions
reaching the Moon this year will serve as LTVS pathfinder missions
that enable the team the exclusive ability to test technologies and
gather data to further the LTV development.
- Lockheed Martin brings decades of experience delivering
highly complex deep space vehicles including the complexities that
come with human space flight on programs like Orion, Human Landing
System Cislunar Transporter and planetary missions such as Lucy and
OSIRIS-REx.
- General Motors is bringing its advanced Ultium EV
battery technology along with extensive chassis and suspension
development heritage. General Motors' experience on Lunar Surface
mobility goes back to their contributions to the wheels, motor, and
suspension of NASA's Lunar Roving Vehicle during the Apollo
Program.
- Goodyear is developing the rover's tires leveraging
years of experience in lunar mobility, dating back to Apollo
missions.
- MDA Space draws from decades of experience in human
spaceflight robotics and is providing the robotic arm and robotic
interfaces, enabling a versatile ability to place and maintain
commercial payloads.
ABOUT LUNAR OUTPOST
Lunar Outpost is an industry leader in lunar surface mobility,
commercial space robotics, and space resources. From our
terrestrial product lines revolutionizing the air quality sector on
Earth to the creation of oxygen on Mars, our impact spans the solar
system. Lunar Outpost's exploration class rover, the Mobile
Autonomous Prospecting Platform (MAPP), will be the first
commercial rover on the Moon and the first rover in history to
explore the lunar South Pole.
Since our founding in 2017, Lunar Outpost has raised Venture
Capital from top-tier investors and continues to attract strong
investment partners as we continue to prove the opportunity that
advanced mobility, robotics and autonomy provides to the new space
economy and here on Earth. In 2021, Lunar Outpost announced that
our commercially funded MAPP rover—including payload mass
allocations for MIT and Nokia — was
scheduled for delivery by an Intuitive Machines lander to the lunar
South Pole. Lunar Outpost has since secured two additional
contracted lunar surface missions, one of which is fully commercial
and the other a NASA funded science exploration rover. In addition
to the three missions above, Lunar Outpost has also won a contract
with the Australian Space Agency to design and develop a lunar
rover for Australia's first
mission to the Moon as part of the Trailblazer program.
With over a dozen active contracts across commercial, defense
and civil space, Lunar Outpost is The Next Leap that will enable
humanity to become interplanetary.
Find out more at lunaroutpost.com. Follow us on X, LinkedIn,
Instagram.
ABOUT LOCKHEED MARTIN
Lockheed Martin is a global defense technology company driving
innovation and advancing scientific discovery. Our all-domain
mission solutions and 21st Century Security vision accelerate the
delivery of transformative technologies to ensure those we serve
always stay ahead of ready. More information
at lockheedmartin.com.
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SOURCE Lockheed Martin; Lunar Outpost