HAWTHORNE, CALIFORNIA — NASA selected two companies, Astrolab and Lunar Outpost, to develop lunar rovers for its moon base program and announced $20 billion in funding for the initiative. The agency will pay each company approximately $220 million for the development of their respective rover systems.
Astrolab is developing a lunar rover called FLEX, a four-wheel drive electric vehicle capable of either autonomous operation or transporting two astronauts and supplies. The FLEX rover is designed to operate for one year and traverse hundreds of miles across the lunar terrain.
"The Apollo Lunar Rover was a phenomenal machine, but fundamentally it had a very different job to do than the one we're doing," Jaret Matthews, CEO and founder of Astrolab, said in a podcast interview. "The lunar terrain vehicles have to be a mash-up of the Apollo Lunar Rover to carry two suited astronauts, as well as something more modern like the Perseverance Rover on Mars, and can be operated remotely from Earth."
Lunar Outpost, based in Colorado, is developing a lunar rover called Pegasus. The company’s approach emphasizes versatility beyond NASA’s immediate needs. "NASA wants to be one of many customers," Lunar Outpost CEO Justin Cyrus said. "NASA doesn't want to be the only customer. And the only way you can do that is creating a vehicle that is truly capable enough to allow for new activities on the lunar surface."
The rover contracts are part of NASA’s broader $20 billion plan to establish a moon base near the lunar south pole. The initiative aims to support sustained human presence on the Moon through infrastructure that includes mobile surface platforms capable of supporting scientific research, exploration, and logistics.
NASA’s funding will also support the development of infrastructure necessary for long-term operations on the lunar surface, including power systems, communications networks, and habitat modules. The agency plans to use the rovers to transport equipment and crew between landing sites and the planned base location.