WASHINGTON / RankWire.AI / – NASA has provided an update regarding its initiatives to develop both crewed and robotic lunar rovers designed to facilitate exploration and establish a permanent presence on the Moon. The agency shared this progress through a Moon Base video update on Tuesday, October 20. The plans include the VIPER robotic rover and new lunar terrain vehicles intended for astronauts. Robert Pickle, who leads the Surface Mobility Office within NASA’s Moon Base Program, emphasized that lunar rovers are pivotal to the agency’s surface mobility strategy.
The Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, known as VIPER, is scheduled to explore the lunar South Pole region in 2027. Its mission will be to investigate permanently shadowed craters for water and other vital resources that could support future lunar activities. VIPER will be delivered to the surface by Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 lander. Designed to cover more than 30 kilometers, the rover will gather data on temperature variations, lighting conditions, and terrain features.
Constructed entirely at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, VIPER is currently undergoing final testing ahead of its shipment to Kennedy Space Center for launch. Operations during the mission will be managed from NASA’s Ames Research Center in California. In September 2025, NASA selected Blue Origin under a Commercial Lunar Payload Services task order worth up to $190 million to deliver the rover. The mission is expected to last 100 days, with findings that could influence future lunar water resource utilization.
Terrain vehicles designed for astronaut transport
To broaden surface mobility capabilities, NASA awarded task orders to Astrolab and Lunar Outpost to develop lunar terrain vehicles, or LTVs. These vehicles will carry crew members, transport equipment, and assist in sample collection. Astrolab’s CLV-1, based on its FLEX rover design, and Lunar Outpost’s Pegasus, a lighter version of its Eagle vehicle, are the two main designs. Both firms aim to deliver operational hardware to NASA by the end of 2027. Additionally, NASA contracted Blue Origin to provide the LTVs to the lunar South Pole region by 2028.
These LTVs will arrive on the Moon prior to crewed Artemis missions. Capable of remote operation from Earth, they will map the surface ahead of human exploration, traveling up to 6 kilometers daily. Each vehicle can cover as much as 10 kilometers per battery charge and support up to three moonwalks during an Artemis mission. They will be able to carry up to 80 kilograms of lunar samples and tools, and must endure temperatures as low as minus 203 degrees Celsius in shadowed regions.
Progress in testing phases and design assessments
Both companies are progressing through important design milestones. Lunar Outpost’s preliminary design review was scheduled for October, while Astrolab’s is planned for the end of December. Astrolab has also delivered a CLV-1 mockup to Axiom Space for astronaut evaluation, and Lunar Outpost has built two mockups along with a third static model sent to Johnson Space Center. The FLIP rover from Astrolab is expected to fly on Griffin Mission One in late 2026, with a second Lunar Outpost MAPP rover launching in early 2027.
These rover programs build on NASA’s return to deep space exploration with crewed missions. The Artemis II mission set a record for the farthest human spaceflight in April. Blue Origin intends to launch its Blue Moon landers on the New Glenn rocket. NASA states that these vehicles will help astronauts explore geologically diverse areas of the lunar surface, with the rovers playing a crucial role in establishing a sustained human presence on the Moon.