To support expanding humanity's deep-space exploration footprint, Lockheed Martin and General Motors (GM) have partnered together to develop the next generation of lunar vehicles.
NASA's Artemis programme is sending humans back to the Moon to explore and conduct scientific experiments using a variety of rovers, and the lunar vehicles to be developed by Lockheed Martin and GM will help transport astronauts on the surface of the Moon.
NASA sought industry approaches 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 programme.
To support NASA's mission, the two industry leaders will develop a unique vehicle with innovative capabilities, leveraging their engineering, performance, technology and reliability expertise. The result may allow astronauts to explore the lunar surface unprecedentedly 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.
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. Additionally, GM will use autonomous technology to facilitate safer and more efficient operations on the Moon.
GM has a proven history of supporting NASA and working within the space industry. 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. The company 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.
Rick Ambrose, executive vice president, Lockheed Martin Space, said, 'This alliance brings together powerhouse innovation from both companies to make a transformative class of vehicles. 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.'
Alan Wexler, senior vice president of Innovation and Growth at General Motors, said, '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. Working together with Lockheed Martin and their deep-space exploration expertise, we plan to support American astronauts on the Moon once again.'