Video: AVs planned for moon

Driverless EVs are likely to help transport astronauts on the dark side of the moon under a new deal between Lockheed Martin and General Motors (GM).

The next-generation lunar terrain vehicles (LTVs or “rovers”) will be designed for NASA Artemis astronauts to explore the moon more, expected to fit two space-suited astronauts at a time.

The partners will develop a unique vehicle with innovative capabilities, drawing on their engineering, performance, technology and reliability legacies.

“This alliance brings together powerhouse innovation from both companies to make a transformative class of vehicles,” Lockheed Martin Space executive vice president Rick Ambrose says.

“These next-generation rovers will dramatically extend the range of astronauts as they perform high-priority science investigation on the moon that will ultimately impact humanity’s understanding of our place in the solar system.”

GM is a leader in battery electric technologies and propulsion systems and will use autonomous technology to facilitate safer and more efficient lunar operations.

“General Motors made history by applying advanced technologies and engineering to support the Lunar Rover Vehicle that the Apollo 15 astronauts drove on the moon,” GM innovation and growth senior vice president Alan Wexler says.

The company manufactured, tested and integrated the inertial guidance and navigation systems for the entire Apollo Moon program, including Apollo 11 and the first human landing in 1969.

GM also helped develop the electric Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV), including the chassis and wheels for the LRV that was used on Apollo’s 15-17 missions.

Unlike the Apollo rovers that only travelled 7.6km from the landing site, the next-generation lunar vehicles are being designed to traverse significantly farther distances to support the first excursions of the moon’s south pole, where it is cold and dark with more rugged terrain.

Autonomous, self-driving systems will allow the rovers to prepare for human landings, provide commercial payload services, and enhance the range and utility of scientific payloads and experiments.

Artemis is named after the twin sister of Apollo in Greek mythology and NASA aims to return astronauts to the moon by 2024.

In a separate venture, Toyota partnered with the Japanese Space Agency to build a pressurised electric lunar rover for astronauts dubbed the Lunar Cruiser.