NASA Outlines Progress on Artemis Moon Base Rovers Ahead of Scheduled 2027 and 2028 Launches
NASA has released a video update detailing the progress of commercial robotic and crewed rovers designed for future lunar exploration. These vehicles will handle astronaut transport, mapping, and resource prospecting to support the agency's upcoming Moon Base.
NASA has released a video update detailing the progress of commercial robotic and crewed rovers designed for future lunar exploration. These vehicles will handle astronaut transport, mapping, and resource prospecting to support the agency's upcoming Moon Base.
The Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, known as VIPER, is fully built at NASA's Johnson Space Center and prepares for a 2027 launch.
Blue Origin will deliver the craft to the lunar South Pole via a Blue Moon Mark 1 lander to search for water. Meanwhile, NASA awarded task orders to Astrolab and Lunar Outpost to build lunar terrain vehicles (LTVs) that can carry astronauts. Blue Origin will deliver these LTVs to the South Pole by 2028 under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative.
The LTVs will support up to three moonwalks per Artemis mission and carry up to 176 pounds of samples. Both companies are scheduled to deliver flight-ready hardware by the end of 2027. Ahead of those deliveries, companies are conducting simulated tests on wheels and mockups with NASA astronauts wearing spacesuits.
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Original publication: 20 October 2026 20:30
