Lockheed Martin and General Motors Co. are teaming up to develop the next generation of lunar vehicles to transport astronauts on the surface of the Moon. The effort is supporting NASA’s Artemis program, which is sending humans back to the Moon where they will explore and conduct scientific experiments using a variety of rovers.

The agency has challenged industry to develop a Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) that will enable astronauts to explore the lunar surface farther than ever before. The LTV is the first of many types of surface mobility vehicles needed for NASA’s Artemis program.

To support NASA’s mission, the two partners will draw on their engineering, performance, technology, and reliability legacies to allow astronauts to explore the lunar surface and support discovery in places where humans have never gone before. Lockheed Martin will lead the team by leveraging its more than 50-year history of working with NASA on deep-space human and robotic spacecraft, such as NASA’s Orion exploration-class spaceship for Artemis and numerous Mars and planetary spacecraft.

“This alliance brings together powerhouse innovation from both companies to make a transformative class of vehicles,” said Rick Ambrose, Executive Vice President, Lockheed Martin Space. “Surface mobility is critical to enable and sustain long-term exploration of the lunar surface. 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 that are central to its multi-brand, multi-segment electric vehicle strategy, positioning the company for an all-electric future. In early 2020, the company revealed its first-generation Ultium Platform, a family that includes batteries and drives, with the first vehicles expected to go on sale later this year. Ultium is part of GM’s commitment of more than $27 billion to EV and AV product development and plans to launch 30 EVs globally by the end of 2025.

GM will use some of its autonomous vehicle technology to facilitate safer and more efficient operations on the Moon.

“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,” said Alan Wexler, Senior Vice President of Innovation and Growth at General Motors. “Working together with Lockheed Martin and their deep-space exploration expertise, we plan to support American astronauts on the Moon once again.”

A part of that history in supporting NASA and working within the space industry included the inertial guidance and navigation systems for the Apollo Moon program, including Apollo 11 and the first human landing in 1969. GM helped develop the original electric Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV), including the chassis and wheels for the LRV that was used on Apollo’s 15-17 missions.

Lockheed Martin brings its experience and capabilities in deep-space exploration. It has built spacecraft and systems that have gone to every planet, been on every NASA mission to Mars including building 11 of the agency’s Mars spacecraft, and played major roles on the Space Shuttle program and International Space Station power systems.

Unlike the Apollo rovers that only traveled 4.7 mi (7.6 km) 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 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.

In February, NASA asked industry to send ideas for lunar rovers. As its Artemis lunar exploration program looks toward a robust decade of modern science, research, and human exploration on the Moon, the agency is asking U.S. companies to think about how to get around on the lunar surface. It issued two separate RFIs (requests for information) seeking industry approaches for the development of robotic mobility systems and human-class lunar rovers.

The first ask for concepts on robotic mobility systems is to transport instruments across the lunar surface, conducting critical scientific research across wide areas of terrain including areas where humans may not explore.

“As we return to the Moon with Artemis, we’re seeking new and innovative approaches that allow us to operate robotically anywhere on the lunar surface and explore more of our nearest neighbor than ever before,” said Steve Clarke, Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration, Science Mission Directorate at NASA. “We are turning to industry to offer us exciting approaches to leverage existing systems here on Earth—including law enforcement, military, or recreational vehicles—that could be modified for use in space to enhance our mobility architecture.”

To expand the exploration footprints of the first woman and next man on the Moon, NASA also is seeking industry feedback on relevant state-of-the-art commercial technologies and acquisition strategies for the new LTV. The “human-rated,” unpressurized (unenclosed) rover will be used to help astronauts explore and conduct experiments where humans have never been before—the lunar South Pole.

“The most we can expect the crew to walk while wearing their spacesuits is about a half-mile,” said Marshall Smith, Director of Human Lunar Exploration Programs in the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. “If we can place a rover near a landing site before crew arrive, the potential for scientific return on those first missions will grow exponentially.”

The total areas explored for Apollo astronauts grew from a little over half a mile for the Apollo 11 mission to 15 mi during Apollos 15-17.

“We also want to hear from industry leaders in all-terrain vehicles, electric vehicles, and more; this is not exclusive to the space industry,” noted Smith. “We want our rovers on the Moon to draw on, and spur, innovations in electric vehicle energy storage and management, autonomous driving, and extreme environmental resistance.”

Increasing mobility on the Moon is the latest step to strengthen NASA’s Artemis program, where the agency will use the Moon to test new systems and technologies before sending crew to Mars in the 2030s.

“Companies of all sizes are already partnering with us to deliver payloads to the lunar surface through our Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative,” added Clarke.

The agency is selecting new providers to design and develop a Human Landing System as well as new logistics suppliers for the Gateway in lunar orbit. It is continuing to accelerate its scientific work ahead of a human return, working with a pool of 14 companies on contract to bid on commercial Moon deliveries. Two of those providers, Astrobotic and Intuitive Machines, will deliver the first sets of science instruments and technology development payloads to the lunar surface next year.

To view the press conference replay discussing the GM/Lockheed partnership, visit https://youtu.be/TpXz6QAAJWE. For more information about NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration program, visit https://www.nasa.gov/artemisprogram.