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08
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Lockheed Martin News
LUNAR DAWN TEAM AWARDED NASA LUNAR TERRAIN VEHICLE CONTRACT
Lunar Outpost teams with Lockheed Martin and Industry to develop a human-rated Moon rover as part of the agency's Artemis campaign.
NASA has awarded a Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services (LTVS) contract to the Lunar Dawn team, led by Lunar Outpost as the prime contractor along with its principal partner Lockheed Martin and teammates General Motors (GM), The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, and MDA Space. The diverse team combines proven robotic and human space exploration heritage, cutting-edge technology and automotive industry strengths to create a true off-road vehicle for living and working on the Moon's surface.
The Mission
This next-generation Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) will enable the exploration of the surface of the Moon in an unprecedented fashion as part of NASA's Artemis campaign. It will dramatically extend the range that astronauts can travel from their landing sites as they perform high-priority science investigations on the Moon. When not in use by NASA, the LTV will provide commercial services, contributing to a more accessible and sustainable cislunar economy.
The Vehicle
The Lunar Dawn LTV will afford Artemis astronauts an exceptional experience rooted in safety and convenience, including a flight deck-forward design that provides expansive views for navigating the challenging lunar environment.
The Lunar Dawn team's vehicle exceeds all the requirements set forth by NASA and was designed with mission growth capability in mind. Several of the vehicle's capabilities and features include:
- Advanced autonomous navigation and operation, with or without astronauts onboard.
- Capabilities for robust and diverse commercial use, including a reconfigurable cargo bed that allows for the changing of payloads with its robust robotic arm.
- The ability to not only survive, but to operate, during the two-week-long lunar nights with temperatures down to -280 degrees Fahrenheit; this novel technology extends mission life from days to many years.
The Industry Team
The Lunar Dawn team is comprised of titans of their respective industries, who have been selected for their leading technology and proven ability to deliver space systems that can reliably operate in the toughest conditions.
As the lead of the Lunar Dawn Team, Lunar Outpost is pioneering a new teaming paradigm for the space industry. Lunar Outpost brings its speed and agility, track record of venture capital investors, keen understanding of the commercial market and direct lunar rover experience to this program. Lunar Outpost specializes in advanced spacecraft and robotic systems. As the only company presently contracted to design four lunar rovers and two already built and qualified, Lunar Outpost is the leading commercial planetary mobility provider. Lunar Outpost's commercial Lunar Rover missions reaching the Moon this year will serve as LTVS pathfinder missions that enable the team the exclusive ability to test technologies and gather data to further the LTV development.
The Lunar Dawn team is comprised of titans of their respective industries, who have been selected for their leading technology and proven ability to deliver space systems that can reliably operate in the toughest conditions.
As the lead of the Lunar Dawn Team, Lunar Outpost is pioneering a new teaming paradigm for the space industry. Lunar Outpost brings its speed and agility, track record of venture capital investors, keen understanding of the commercial market and direct lunar rover experience to this program. Lunar Outpost specializes in advanced spacecraft and robotic systems. As the only company presently contracted to design four lunar rovers and two already built and qualified, Lunar Outpost is the leading commercial planetary mobility provider. Lunar Outpost's commercial Lunar Rover missions reaching the Moon this year will serve as LTVS pathfinder missions that enable the team the exclusive ability to test technologies and gather data to further the LTV development.
