To fill these gaps, NASA turned to three space companies to create a prototype electric moon car SUV that would allow astronauts to travel for at least 8 hours on a single charge and reach speeds of up to 9.3 mph (about 15 km/h).
This development is necessary to study the south polar region of the Moon. Moreover, these electric vehicles should also have an interesting feature: The cars should become autonomous robot explorers and move independently around the Moon, as is done on Mars. The car will need to move to a certain point to meet incoming vehicles or people who will pick up immediate transportation.
Three well-known US space companies are participating in the project: Intuitive Machines of Houston, which successfully landed a robotic spacecraft on the Moon in February, Lunar Outpost of Golden, Colorado, and Venturi Astrolab of Hawthorne, California. But only one of these contractors will actually build a vehicle for the agency and send it to the moon.
NASA will work with these companies throughout the year to develop their designs. The agency will then select one of them for the demonstration phase.
“There is no way to go. Its mobility will fundamentally change our understanding of the Moon, Jacob Bleacher, NASA’s chief exploration scientist, said while talking about moon buggies at a press conference.
Source: Ferra
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