[Reading Science] NASA's New Lunar Rover is a 'Robot Car'

NASA Announces New Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) Bid at End of Last Month
Set for Full Deployment in 2030s to Build Moon Base
Adding Autonomous Resource Exploration and Experiment Functions Beyond Personnel Transport

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States has embarked on the development of a new manned and unmanned lunar terrain vehicle (LTV) in preparation for full-scale moon colonization. It is designed not only for simple personnel transport but also as an advanced 'robot car' capable of autonomously performing sample collection and resource exploration missions, similar to Mars exploration rovers.

Conceptual image of lunar base development. Photo by NASA website

NASA announced a bidding proposal containing these details on its procurement website on the 26th of last month. Proposals will be accepted until the 10th of next month, and a manufacturer will be selected by the end of 2023. The plan is to deploy the vehicle on the moon starting in early 2030.

In the proposal, NASA stated that the vehicle is planned to serve as a transport means for two astronauts on the lunar surface while also functioning as an automated exploration rover. Like rovers such as Perseverance and Curiosity, which are conducting solo missions on Mars, it will be equipped with various exploration tools including autonomous driving and robotic arms to collect samples independently and conduct scientific experiments remotely.

NASA intends to utilize the newly developed LTV as a key vanguard for establishing a long-term human base on the moon. NASA has intensified lunar exploration, successfully completing the Artemis 1 mission, the first phase of humanity’s second lunar landing project, in November last year. The Orion spacecraft, mounted on the newly developed super heavy-lift Space Launch System (SLS), exited Earth’s atmosphere, entered lunar orbit, stayed there, and then returned. Following this, the Artemis 2 mission, carrying four astronauts on the same trajectory, is scheduled for launch next year, with actual manned lunar landing exploration planned after 2025. This marks humanity’s return to the moon after more than 50 years since the Apollo program ended in 1973.

NASA does not plan to deploy the LTV for the Artemis 3 mission or the Artemis 5 mission scheduled for 2029. Instead, it will be used as a 'vanguard' ahead of full-scale human lunar colonization, not just for simple personnel transport. Specifically, NASA aims to locate ice presumed to exist in the permanently shadowed regions of the lunar south pole through missions such as Artemis 3. This ice is considered an essential element for lunar base construction as it can be used for rocket fuel or drinking water. To this end, NASA is developing in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) technology to acquire and use necessary resources on the lunar surface. The newly commissioned LTV is regarded as a core component of this ISRU. Through the LTV, NASA plans to explore lunar surface resources more efficiently and smoothly identify areas suitable for human habitation.

To achieve this, NASA plans for the LTV to have the capability to survive the harsh lunar surface environment. It must be equipped with navigation and driving systems that can find paths and advance smoothly across various terrains such as craters, volcanic pits, deserts, valleys, and rocky areas. It must also adapt to the extreme temperature differences between day and night, ranging from 120 degrees Celsius during the day to minus 80 degrees Celsius at night. A power storage system capable of enduring long periods without solar power generation is also essential.