WASHINGTON / RankWire.AI / – NASA has shared an update on its plans to develop both crewed and robotic lunar rovers designed to support exploration efforts and lay the foundation for a permanent presence on the Moon. The agency announced progress in a Moon Base video update on Tuesday, October 20. The plans include the VIPER robotic rover and new lunar terrain vehicles intended for astronaut use. Robert Pickle, who heads the Surface Mobility Office within NASA’s Moon Base Program, emphasized that lunar rovers are crucial to the agency’s surface mobility approach.
The Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER, is scheduled to arrive at the lunar South Pole in 2027. Its mission is to investigate permanently shadowed craters in search of water and other resources essential for future missions. VIPER will be transported to the lunar surface by Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 lander. Capable of covering over 30 kilometers, the rover will gather data on temperature variations, lighting, and terrain conditions.
Constructed entirely at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, VIPER is currently in the final stages of testing before being shipped to Kennedy Space Center for launch. Mission operations will be managed from NASA’s Ames Research Center in California. In September 2025, NASA selected Blue Origin through a Commercial Lunar Payload Services task order valued at up to $190 million to deliver VIPER. The mission is planned to last approximately 100 days, and its findings could influence future lunar water resource utilization.
Terrain vehicles designed to transport astronauts
To enhance surface mobility capabilities, NASA awarded task orders to Astrolab and Lunar Outpost to develop lunar terrain vehicles, or LTVs. These vehicles will carry astronauts, transport equipment, and facilitate sample collection. Astrolab’s CLV-1 is based on its FLEX rover design, while Lunar Outpost’s Pegasus is a lighter, evolved version of its Eagle vehicle. Both companies aim to deliver operational hardware to NASA by the end of 2027. Additionally, NASA contracted Blue Origin to supply the LTVs to the lunar South Pole by 2028.
These LTVs will arrive on the Moon prior to crewed Artemis missions. They can be remotely operated from Earth for surface mapping before astronauts land, traveling up to 6 kilometers daily. Each vehicle can travel as far as 10 kilometers on a single battery charge and support up to three moonwalks per Artemis expedition. They are capable of carrying 80 kilograms of lunar samples and tools and must endure temperatures as low as minus 203 degrees Celsius in shadowed regions.
Upcoming testing phases and design assessments
Both firms are progressing through critical design milestones. Lunar Outpost’s preliminary design review was scheduled for October, while Astrolab’s is slated for the end of December. Astrolab has delivered a CLV-1 mockup to Axiom Space for astronaut testing, and Lunar Outpost has built two mockups with a third static model sent to Johnson Space Center. Astrolab’s FLIP rover will participate in Griffin Mission One in late 2026, while a second Lunar Outpost MAPP rover is set to launch early in 2027.
These rover programs build upon NASA’s return to deep space exploration with crewed missions. The Artemis II mission set a record for the farthest human spaceflight in April. Blue Origin plans to launch its Blue Moon landers aboard its New Glenn rocket. NASA states that these vehicles will enable astronauts to explore geologically diverse regions of the lunar surface. The development of these rovers is a key component of the broader vision to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon.