Lunar Outpost, the company helping Nokia put 4G internet on the Moon, is teaming up with Lockheed Martin to help design a next-generation Moon rover planned for use in the Artemis missions.
On top of its plans with Nokia, Lunar Outpost is also one of the first companies making a move alongside NASA to make moon mining an actual thing. The company has already signed a contract with NASA. Now, though, it will be working with Lockheed Martin to bring the Lunar Mobility Vehicle (LMV) to life.
The development of Lockheed Martin’s next-generation moon rover is exciting because of how it will help astronauts usher in a new era of space exploration. In 2025, when NASA’s Artemis program returns to the surface of the Moon, the new rover will help extend its mobility even further.
The new rover will allow astronauts to travel more easily along the surface of the Moon, and they’ll be able to conduct critical research and prospect for important resources using the new rover. For its part, Lunar Outpost will provide Stargate, a powerful software system, for the rover.
Stargate, which used to be known as COSMOS, is a “comprehensive mission control software for robotic vehicle teleoperation, data management and payload operations,” according to Lunar Outpost. The company will also help with the next-generation moon rover’s onboard navigation, thermal management, dust mitigation, and light systems.
The goal is to create an efficient and safe rover for astronauts to rely on during their exploration of the Moon’s surface. The company also says that the rover can operate fully autonomously, allowing it to help astronauts even when not piloted by a human hand.
The development of this next-generation moon rover is ongoing. It will be interesting to see more about it when Lunar Outpost and Lockheed Martin reveal details and design for the rover. In the meantime, we can remain excited about the upcoming Artemis II mission, which will see a crew of four orbiting around the Moon in the Orion space capsule.
