NASA has awarded contracts to two companies to develop new lunar rovers designed for astronaut use during upcoming missions to the moon. On Tuesday, Lunar Outpost of Golden, Colorado, and Venturi Astrolab of Hawthorne, California, each received agreements worth approximately $220 million to build next-generation lunar terrain vehicles (LTVs). These vehicles are intended to support human exploration as part of NASA’s broader plan to establish a permanent moon base in the coming decade.

Carlos García-Galán, who leads NASA’s lunar base program, said the agency aims to have the rovers operational on the lunar surface when astronauts return, potentially as early as 2028 with the Artemis IV mission. "It’s absolutely an objective," he said during a briefing detailing NASA’s plans for lunar surface operations.

The new LTVs will be significantly more capable than the moon buggies used during the Apollo missions of the early 1970s. Each vehicle will weigh around one metric ton, support two astronauts, and be able to traverse slopes up to 20 degrees. Additionally, when not crewed, the rovers will have autonomous driving capabilities or allow remote operation by personnel on Earth.

NASA initially sought more complex rover designs starting in 2019, requesting features such as robotic arms and higher top speeds of up to 9.3 miles per hour. At that time, the agency expected the vehicle would be ready no earlier than 2030 and planned to select a single winner from competing companies. However, following Jared Isaacman’s appointment as NASA administrator earlier this year, the agency revised its requirements to accelerate the timeline and simplify the design.

The new specifications call for a maximum speed of 6.2 miles per hour, eliminate the robotic arm, and reduce the contract duration from 10 years to one, enabling earlier lunar surface mobility for astronauts. This shift prompted Lunar Outpost and Venturi Astrolab to rapidly develop new designs, with proposals submitted by May 1.

Jaret Matthews, CEO of Venturi Astrolab, said the company leveraged prior work from earlier project phases to meet NASA’s requirements on an accelerated schedule. Similarly, Justin Cyrus, CEO of Lunar Outpost, noted the timeline is tight but feasible, highlighting that Apollo’s original lunar rover was developed in 17 months—just one month less than the current window.

In a related announcement, NASA awarded Blue Origin a contract valued at up to $468 million to transport the rovers to the lunar surface. The space agency also selected Firefly Aerospace of Cedar Park, Texas, to deliver four robotic drones developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. These drones will conduct reconnaissance at the lunar south pole, where Artemis missions plan to land, enabling the creation of detailed terrain maps and identification of suitable sites for lunar bases.

“These reconnaissance efforts will be critical for ongoing exploration and site selection,” García-Galán said, emphasizing the importance of thorough surface mapping and understanding the moon’s environment for sustainable human presence.