These New Driveable Lunar Rovers Were Designed By GM And Lockheed Martin

screenrant.com:

NASA presented the new lunar rovers astronauts will use to drive on the moon. The Artemis mission, planned to start with an uncrewed launch this year and move on to advanced stages, will set up base in the moon's south pole. The concept for the lunar base includes from the get-go, rovers to move around, and rovers big enough to live in.

The Artemis mission is more than just returning to the moon. The south pole base is viewed as an expansion of the International Space Station (ISS). Like such, it includes international cooperation. The moon is also considered a strategic location for scientific research, astronomical observations and a stepping stone for missions venturing beyond.

Related: These Wheels For NASA's Moon Rover Are Unlike Anything It's Made Before

General Motors and Lockheed Martin teamed up to build the next generation of moon vehicles. They recently showed them off to the world. The lunar rovers are in the early design stages and are impressively advanced despite being just concepts. Two vehicles were presented. One of them is a powerful drivable all-terrain buggy, the other a larger rover with ample space for payload or living quarters. But, of course, there has been some driving done on the moon before. NASA explains that the record for driving on the moon, set during the Apollo missions, is five kilometers. Considering the moon's circumference is more than 10 thousand kilometers, humans haven't driven around that much. But driving for sights, pleasure or rush is not what GM, Lockheed Martin nor NASA have in mind. Instead, they have a particular idea of what they want to do with the new moon rovers.

We’re on a mission with <a href=«https://twitter.com/GMDefense?ref_src=» https: screenrant.com>@GMDefense