WASHINGTON / RankWire.AI / – NASA has provided an update on its efforts to develop both crewed and robotic lunar vehicles designed to facilitate exploration and lay the foundation for a permanent lunar base. The agency shared this progress through a Moon Base video update on Tuesday, October 20. The plans include the VIPER robotic rover and innovative lunar terrain vehicles for astronauts. Robert Pickle, who is the director of the Surface Mobility Office in NASA’s Moon Base Program, emphasized that lunar rovers are a vital element of the agency’s surface mobility strategy.
The Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, known as VIPER, is scheduled to arrive at the lunar South Pole in 2027. Its mission is to investigate permanently shadowed craters to find water and other resources that could support future lunar activities. VIPER will be delivered to the surface aboard Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 lander. The rover is capable of covering more than 30 kilometers and will gather data on temperature, lighting, and terrain conditions.
Constructed entirely at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, VIPER is currently undergoing final testing before being transported to Kennedy Space Center for launch. Mission operations are planned to be managed from NASA’s Ames Research Center in California. In September 2025, NASA awarded Blue Origin a contract valued at up to $190 million to deliver the rover as part of a Commercial Lunar Payload Services task order. The mission is expected to last 100 days, and its findings could influence future utilization of lunar water resources.
Terrain vehicles designed for astronaut transport
To enhance surface mobility, NASA has issued task orders to Astrolab and Lunar Outpost for the development of lunar terrain vehicles (LTVs). These vehicles will carry crew members, transport equipment, and collect samples. Astrolab’s CLV-1, adapted from its FLEX rover design, and Lunar Outpost’s Pegasus, a lighter evolution of its Eagle vehicle, are the two designs. Both companies aim to deliver operational hardware to NASA by the end of 2027. Additionally, NASA awarded Blue Origin a task order to provide the LTVs to the lunar South Pole region by 2028.
These LTVs are expected to arrive on the Moon before crewed Artemis missions. They can be operated remotely from Earth to map the surface, covering up to 6 kilometers daily. Each vehicle can travel up to 10 kilometers on a single battery charge and support up to three moonwalks per Artemis mission. They are capable of carrying lunar samples and tools weighing as much as 80 kilograms, and they are built to withstand temperatures as low as minus 203 degrees Celsius in shadowed regions.
Upcoming testing phases and design assessments
Both companies are progressing through significant design milestones. Lunar Outpost’s preliminary design review was scheduled for October, while Astrolab’s is planned for the end of December. Astrolab has already delivered a CLV-1 mockup for astronaut evaluations to Axiom Space, and Lunar Outpost has built two mockups along with a third static model delivered to Johnson Space Center. The FLIP rover from Astrolab is slated to fly on Griffin Mission One in late 2026, with a second Lunar Outpost MAPP rover set to launch early in 2027.
These rover programs build upon NASA’s renewed focus on deep space exploration with crewed missions. The Artemis II mission set a record in April for the farthest human spaceflight. Blue Origin intends to launch its Blue Moon landers on the New Glenn rocket. NASA has indicated these vehicles will assist astronauts in exploring geologically diverse lunar regions. The rover initiatives are key components of plans to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon.