"NASA Chooses Three Companies for Next-Gen Lunar Rovers"

NASA has selected three companies, Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost, and Venturi Astrolab, to develop Lunar Terrain Vehicles (LTV) for Artemis missions, with contracts totaling up to $4.6 billion. The rovers are intended to enhance astronauts' mobility and serve as science platforms between crewed missions. Each company's approach to the LTV problem varies, with renderings showcasing unique designs such as Intuitive Machine's Moon Reusable Autonomous Crewed Exploration Rover (MRACER) and Lunar Outpost's Lunar Dawn. Venturi Astrolab's FLEX rover, which has reached the prototype hardware stage, is scheduled to go to the moon in 2026 as part of SpaceX’s Starship landing tests.