The Moon is covered with regolith, a layer of crushed, sharp rock that could pose a threat to future landing missions by damaging spacecraft and putting astronauts in danger. While major industry players are hard at work with designing more durable and efficient wheeled rovers, MIT engineers propose a solution that doesn’t even imply touching the Moon surface.
One way or another, humanity will return to the Moon, and this time around, it's going to stay. NASA's Artemis program will kickstart the colonization of our natural satellite and lay the foundation for future exploration of other worlds. But for that to happen, new technologies will have to be developed, including vehicles capable of conquering the rugged lunar terrain.
Space ETFs Perk Up as NASA Announces New Lunar Vehicle May 27, 2021
Lockheed Martin and General Motors announced Wednesday that they will be partnering to create a new type of lunar vehicle for NASA to use during its upcoming Artemis missions to the moon.
“Surface mobility is critical to enable and sustain long-term exploration of the lunar surface. These next-generation rovers will dramatically extend the range of astronauts,” Lockheed Martin executive vice president Rick Ambrose said in a statement.
Earlier this year NASA released a memo to companies that it “requires a human-class rover that will extend the exploration range of” astronauts during missions for the agency’s Artemis program. The NASA program, which was revealed by former President Trump’s administration and has continued under President Joe Biden, involves a plethora of missions to the moon’s orbit and surface in the future.