Moon Rover
-
NASA
NASA Testing Advanced Capabilities for Moon, Mars Rovers
On a bleak stretch of the Colorado Desert in Southern California, a compact four-wheeled rover recently trundled about 16 miles (26 kilometers) with minimal intervention from the team of engineers trailing it. Called ERNEST (Exploration Rover for Navigating Extreme Sloped Terrain), this prototype is being used by NASA to advance both robotic autonomy and the ability to traverse challenging landscapes.…
Read More » -
NASA
NASA Presses Forward Search for VIPER Moon Rover Partner
Editor’s note: This release was updated on Feb. 4, 2025, to reflect a change in the deadline for when responses to the proposal are due. To advance plans of securing a public/private partnership and land and operate NASA’s VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) mission on the Moon in collaboration with industry the agency announced Monday it is seeking U.S.…
Read More » -
NASA
Commercial Moon Rovers Under Test
Venturi Astrolab’s FLEX, Intuitive Machines’ Moon RACER, and Lunar Outpost’s Eagle lunar terrain vehicle – three commercially owned and developed LTVs (Lunar Terrain Vehicle) – are pictured at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston in this photo from Nov. 21, 2024. As part of an ongoing year-long feasibility study, each company delivered a static mockup of their vehicle to Johnson…
Read More » -
NASA
New Commercial Artemis Moon Rovers Undergo Testing at NASA
Through NASA’s Artemis campaign, astronauts will land on the lunar surface and use a new generation of spacesuits and rovers as they live, work, and conduct science in the Moon’s South Pole region, exploring more of the lunar surface than ever before. Recently, the agency completed the first round of testing on three commercially owned and developed LTVs (Lunar Terrain…
Read More » -
NASA
NASA’s VIPER Gets Its Head and Neck
In this image from Feb. 12, 2024, engineers lift a mast into place on NASA’s VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) robotic Moon rover. VIPER’s mast and the suite of instruments affixed to it look a lot like the rover’s “neck” and “head.” The mast instruments are designed to help the team of rover drivers and real-time scientists send commands and receive…
Read More » -
NASA
NASA VIPER Robotic Moon Rover Team Raises Its Mighty Mast
NASA’s VIPER – short for the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover – now stands taller and more capable than ever. And that’s thanks to its mast. VIPER’s mast, and the suite of instruments affixed to it, looks a lot like the rover’s “neck” and “head.” The mast instruments are designed to help the team of rover drivers and real-time scientists send commands…
Read More » -
NASA
NASA’s Network of Small Moon-Bound Rovers Is Ready to Roll
Construction and testing are complete on the CADRE rovers, which will map the lunar surface together as a tech demo to show the promise of multirobot missions. A trio of small rovers that will explore the Moon in sync with one another are rolling toward launch. Engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California recently finished assembling the robots,…
Read More » -
NASA
Pittsburgh is going to the moon
Yes, you read that right. Pittsburgh is going to the moon. Well, at least a water searching rover that Astrobotic has been tasked to deliver to the Moon’s South Pole in anticipation of Americans landing on the Lunar Surface beginning in 2024. FROM NASA: NASA has awarded Astrobotic of Pittsburgh $199.5 million to deliver NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover…
Read More »