Who oh who wants to build an ingenious moon car with which future astronauts can cruise over the vast lunar landscape?

During the Apollo missions, astronauts didn’t just walk on the moon; they also talked about it. And in electric lunar carts known as LRVs (Lunar Rover Vehicle). Now NASA is looking for a new car for the moon. And so they ask for help from American companies that are willing to build such a lunar vehicle.

moon buggy

The original moon buggy, better known as the moon buggy, was first introduced during the Apollo 15 mission. This vehicle allowed astronauts to explore miles of geological features. This increased the scientific yield of each new mission. For example, 10 times as many samples were collected during Apollo 17 as on foot during Apollo 11.

New vehicle

It goes without saying that a moon car has added value. But the moon buggies dating from the Apollo era no longer meet current needs, according to NASA. That’s because “we’re planning for long-term exploration of the moon,” said NASA’s Nathan Howard. “Most people do a lot of research before buying a car. We are conducting extensive research into a modern space vehicle that can be supplied by industry.”

What requirements does the car have to meet?

The new moon rover is to be an unlocked rover that astronauts can drive across the vast lunar landscape, wearing their spacesuits. In addition, the ‘car’ must last at least ten years, and be usable during multiple Artemis missions. Of course, the vehicle must withstand the long, cold moon nights and be easy to transport across the lunar surface. “The Artemis-LRV will be the ultimate all-terrain vehicle,” said Howard. “It has advanced power management, can drive autonomously and has extreme environmental technologies.” The intention is that the cart can also be controlled remotely, for example to transport cargo to another location.

Watch NASA’s flashy call-up video here.

Progress

NASA is now asking major American companies to think about such a vehicle. The intention is that the new, ingenious moon cart will bring people and science – literally and figuratively – considerably further. In addition, NASA hopes they will make an even greater contribution than the moon buggies used during the Apollo missions. “We’re trying to encourage progress in the capabilities of electric vehicles,” Howard says. “This could result in the most capable rover ever built.”

Commercial service
The intent is for US companies that are interested to provide a vehicle as a commercial service, or as a product that NASA could purchase and own. This is not the first time that NASA has enlisted the help of commercial companies. As part of the Commercial Crew Program, several commercial parties – including Boeing and SpaceX – were working on a launch vehicle and space capsule that could transport astronauts to the ISS. NASA believes that it is better to work with commercial parties than to compete with them. And so NASA regularly asks American companies to provide goods or services.

The new moon car is part of a larger plan to build a real lunar base, where astronauts can stay for a long time. The intention is that such a base camp – along with other infrastructure – will arise on the south pole of the moon sometime in the coming decades. And a car to drive from A to B is of course crucial. American companies that would like to build an electric moon vehicle can now report to NASA.