posted 04-03-2024 03:33 PM               

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.

Above: The Lunar Dawn team's lunar rover will open up exploration of the surface of the Moon.

The Mission

This next-generation Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) will enable the exploration of the surface of the Moon in 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.

"Surface mobility is a critical capability for humanity's future in space, and Lunar Outpost looks forward to driving value in the cislunar economy by providing a reliable, safe and capable vehicle that will be used to provide mobility to Artemis astronauts and perform critical missions autonomously on the Moon for commercial endeavors," said Lunar Outpost CEO, Justin Cyrus. "We look forward to leveraging the strengths of Lockheed Martin, a company with extensive human and advanced space systems experience, and our other industry teammates, GM, Goodyear and MDA Space, to provide an unparalleled technical offering at a commercially viable price point."

The Vehicle

The Lunar Dawn LTV will afford Artemis astronauts with an exceptional experience rooted in safety and convenience, including a flight deck-forward design that provides expansive views for navigating the challenging lunar environment.

"These unique technologies will enable the future of critical infrastructure required for a sustainable presence in space where humans can live, work far from Earth," said Kirk Shireman, vice president of Lunar Exploration Campaigns at Lockheed Martin. "Lockheed Martin is thrilled to be combining expertise with a diverse set of companies to embark on this next generation rover that will expand exploration and our understanding of the lunar surface."

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.

• Lockheed Martin brings decades of experience delivering highly complex deep space vehicles including the complexities that come with human space flight on programs like Orion, Human Landing System Cislunar Transporter and planetary missions such as Lucy and OSIRIS-REx.

• General Motors is bringing its advanced Ultium EV battery technology along with extensive chassis and suspension development heritage. General Motors' experience on Lunar Surface mobility goes back to their contributions to the wheels, motor, and suspension of NASA's Lunar Roving Vehicle during the Apollo Program.

• Goodyear is developing the rover's tires leveraging years of experience in lunar mobility, dating back to Apollo missions.

• MDA Space draws from decades of experience in human spaceflight robotics and is providing the robotic arm and robotic interfaces, enabling a versatile ability to place and maintain commercial payloads.

posted 09-24-2024 11:35 AM               

Lunar Outpost Welcomes Leidos to the Lunar Dawn Team

Today (Sept. 24), Lunar Outpost announced Leidos has joined the Lunar Dawn team, led by Lunar Outpost. The two companies will collaborate to develop a human-rated Moon rover as part of NASA's Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services (LTVS) contract, alongside General Motors (GM), The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company and MDA Space.

Leidos brings to the team a focus on practices to protect the health and safety of the crew, reduce human error and enable the crew to operate the system in an effective and efficient manner. Leidos will also be sharing their expertise in supporting mission assurance, systems engineering, operations and integration planning. The Lunar Dawn 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.

"Leidos brings decades of experience and a deep understanding of the LTV project to the Lunar Dawn team. In fact, they have been working on an LTV design since 2020," said Forrest Meyen, Lunar Dawn Program Manager and Co-Founder at Lunar Outpost. "Astronaut safety is our number one priority when building our vehicle, and we are thrilled to have the industry leader in human-centered design on our team."

Leidos has been supporting deep space exploration and human spaceflight for over 50 years, working closely with NASA delivering Class A, human-rated programs. Recently, the company was awarded a $476 million NASA Cargo Mission Support contract.

The Lunar Dawn team, led by Lunar Outpost, was awarded the LTV contract by NASA in April 2024. The LTV is an unpressurized rover that will allow astronauts to travel a greater distance from a landing site—maximizing scientific discovery and exploration of the lunar surface. When not in use by NASA, the LTV will provide commercial services, contributing to a more accessible and sustainable cislunar economy.

posted 11-21-2024 08:20 AM               

Lunar Outpost Signs with SpaceX for Starship Moon Mission

This launch and landing services contract enables Lunar Outpost to provide industry leading mobility and infrastructure services on the lunar surface that will drive the Artemis campaign.

Lunar Outpost, the industry leader in lunar surface mobility, commercial space robotics, and space resources, today announced it has signed an agreement with SpaceX to deliver Lunar Outpost's Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) to the Moon aboard a SpaceX Starship for launch and landing. A leading opportunity for transporting heavy cargo to the lunar surface, this partnership unlocks Lunar Outpost to provide surface mobility to future NASA Artemis astronauts, and to establish critical infrastructure enabling sustainable commercial access to the lunar surface and other strategic locations in space.

Today's (Nov. 21) announcement arrives on the heels of significant technical milestones for both companies. Lunar Outpost's LTV human factors mockup recently completed testing at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX, following a successful System Requirements Review in September.

SpaceX's Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket have made tremendous recent progress, including not only multiple successful launches of the Starship system but also the successful landing of the Super Heavy booster back in Starbase, TX, using the Mechazilla launch tower and chopsticks arms.

"Lunar Outpost's LTV is designed to be the backbone of lunar surface operations by enabling science and exploration, building and maintaining interplanetary infrastructure, and facilitating space resource utilization," said Justin Cyrus, founder and CEO of Lunar Outpost. "Having experienced the recent groundbreaking Starship test flight firsthand, we're confident that SpaceX is advancing the most capable launch system ever created and will successfully land our Eagle vehicles on the surface of the Moon. This contract is instrumental to accelerating Lunar Outpost's mission of enabling a sustainable human presence in space and we look forward to working with SpaceX to make that happen."

Named the Lunar Outpost Eagle, Lunar Outpost's LTV is being developed as part of NASA's Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services (LTVS) contract. The Lunar Outpost Eagle is designed to revolutionize surface mobility on the Moon, supporting both manned and unmanned missions, offering advanced autonomous navigation, and featuring reconfigurable cargo options to maximize surface mission profiles for both governmental and commercial customers. With the ability to operate during harsh lunar night conditions, the LTV's mission life extends from days to years, playing a crucial role in sustainable lunar activities.

The Lunar Outpost Eagle is being built by the Lunar Dawn team, which is led by Lunar Outpost and includes industry leading collaborators Leidos, MDA Space, Goodyear, and General Motors.