(Houston) Off-piste guaranteed! NASA on Wednesday designated three American companies to develop a vehicle capable of transporting its astronauts once to the South Pole of the Moon, where extreme conditions prevail.
The three companies selected are the Texan Intuitive Machines, the Californian Venturi Astrolab, and Lunar Outpost, based in Colorado.
After a one-year development period, only one of them will ultimately be chosen to send its rover to the Moon, at least for the Artemis 5 mission.
This mission is currently planned for the end of the decade. Artemis 3, the first to send astronauts back to the Moon, is planned for 2026.
With the Artemis program, “we are developing the necessary means to establish a long-term presence and exploration on the Moon,” Jacob Bleacher, senior scientist at NASA, emphasized at a press conference.
The rover will “fundamentally transform our vision of the Moon,” he promised.
This vehicle must be able to transport two astronauts, allowing them to explore areas much further than on foot and to collect samples.
It must be equipped with a robotic arm and be able to transport scientific equipment.
But the rover will also have to be able to operate autonomously when the astronauts are not there, a major difference with the time of the Apollo program.
With Artemis, NASA wants to explore the south pole of the Moon, where no human has ever been, because there is water there in the form of ice.
“NASA wants to understand how much ice there is below the surface, and if we can access it,” explained Jacob Bleacher. This “will help us understand how the Moon formed and evolved, and could provide a resource for future explorers.” »
But this region also presents difficult conditions, particularly in terms of temperature differences.
To meet the challenge posed, each selected company works with a series of partners, such as Michelin, Boeing and Northrop Grumman for the team led by Intuitive Machines, or Lockheed Martin, General Motors and Goodyear for Lunar Outpost.
NASA has asked that the winning company be able to provide its transport service for ten years, possibly by sending several rovers successively.
The NASA contract also leaves the possibility of using the vehicle for the use of private customers, for example interested in lunar resources.
Intuitive Machines said it received $30 million for this first one-year phase.
The total value of the combined contracts for the development of this vehicle should ultimately not exceed $4.6 billion, according to NASA.