The US space agency NASA has commissioned three companies to build lunar vehicles on its behalf in the future.
Private space companies Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost, and Venturi Astrolab were selected for the contract, with a total value of $4.6 billion, NASA announced in a press conference on Wednesday.
The three companies will work on a prototype for a year, before a decision is made about which vehicle will be sent to the moon, how and when, as these companies have worked in similar fields for a period of time. Intuitive Machines completed the first unmanned commercial landing on the moon in February.
In the future, astronauts will use so-called “lunar terrain vehicles” to travel on the surface of the Moon. The vehicle models, one of which will be selected for production, must be able to withstand the harsh conditions on the Moon’s surface, and there are high requirements in terms of power supply, autonomous driving and communications. And mobility.
This vehicle will greatly increase the ability of astronauts to explore science on the surface of the moon and serve as a scientific platform between manned missions. Through the “Artemis” program, NASA wants to deliver humans to the surface of the moon again for the first time in more than half a century. The long-term goal of Artemis is to create a permanent lunar base as a basis for missions to Mars.
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