An artist rendering shows Venturi Astrolab's moon rover on the surface of the moon with SpaceX's Starship spacecraft. NASA on Wednesday awarded contracts to three commercial space companies to develop autonomous rovers that the space agency would use to move cargo and people on the surface of the moon as it seeks to build an enduring presence there.
The difference with these moon rovers, however, is that the vehicles will be operated by the companies in partnership with NASA, and the companies would be able to pursue commercial opportunities with them as NASA seeks to help build a lunar economy.
The awards represent another down payment by NASA on its Artemis program, which the agency hopes will not only return astronauts to the lunar surface but will build a base there.Over the years, the space agency has invested tens of billions of dollars in the Artemis program, including development of the Space Launch System rocket and the Orion crew capsule, which are to carry the astronauts to the vicinity of the moon.
NASA said it would pay for one of the providers to land its rover on the moon before the third human landing under Artemis. That landing is planned for the end of the decade., which is partnering with Axiom Space and Odyssey Space Research, announced last year that it had signed a contract with SpaceX to deliver its vehicle, the Flexible Logistics and Exploration Rover, or FLEX. It hopes to first land on the moon in 2026, said chief executive and founder Jaret Matthews.
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