A group of companies led by Northrop Grumman presented a project of an open lunar rover for NASA's Artemis program.
Such an electric car can go to the moon as early as 2025, but no specific dates for the readiness of the all-terrain vehicle have yet been announced.
Man-operated lunar rovers were used three times during the Apollo program and allowed astronauts to travel long distances to explore the surface of a natural satellite of the Earth.
They were two-seater four-wheeled and open electric vehicles that received energy from non-rechargeable batteries and were delivered to the moon folded.
On board the all-terrain vehicles there was a radio and television communication system, as well as film and photo cameras.
In NASA's Artemis program, which envisages the return of people to the moon in 2025, rovers will play an important role in large-scale research on the lunar surface.
It is assumed that there will be several options for vehicles, in particular JAXA and Toyota, in agreement with NASA, will develop a sealed lunar vehicle for two to four people living up to two weeks.
Another version of the all-terrain vehicle will be an open lunar vehicle LTV (Lunar Terrain Vehicle), similar to the Apollo all-terrain vehicles, which can be used for terrain reconnaissance.
NASA began searching for companies capable of building such a vehicle in early 2020, and in May of this year, Lockheed Martin and General Motors announced plans to create such a vehicle for the agency.
On November 16, 2021, Northrop Grumman announced that it will work with four other companies to create a four-wheeled, leaky lunar rover for use in Artemis.
It is expected that the all-terrain vehicle can be controlled both manually and remotely. It will be able to survive moonlit nights, and its working life can be up to ten years.
Intuitive Machines will develop an upgraded version of the Nova-C lander, called the Nova-D, to deliver the rover to the moon.
Lunar Outpost will assist Northrop Grumman with the design of the all-terrain vehicle, such as dust suppression and heat management systems.
AVL will assist in the creation of an electric propulsion system. Finally, Michelin will help create dedicated airless tires for the all-terrain vehicle. Apollo astronauts Harrison Schmitt and Charles Duke are also expected to be involved.
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