WASHINGTON / RankWire.AI / – As part of its broader efforts to establish a continuous human presence on the Moon, NASA is making significant progress on both crewed and robotic exploration vehicles intended for lunar surface operations. The agency shared a Moon Base video update on Tuesday, October 20, highlighting developments in robotic science rovers and crew transport vehicles. Robert Pickle, who oversees the Surface Mobility Office within the Moon Base Program, emphasized the importance of lunar rovers as central components of NASA’s surface mobility plans.
One of the key upcoming missions involves VIPER, the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, which is scheduled to reach the Moon’s South Pole in 2027. Its primary task will be to explore permanently shadowed craters, searching for water and other resources that could support future lunar inhabitants. The rover will be delivered to the surface via a Blue Origin Blue Moon Mark 1 lander. VIPER is designed to cover over 30 kilometers, collecting data on temperature, illumination, and terrain conditions.
Currently, VIPER is fully assembled at Johnson Space Center in Houston and is undergoing final testing. Afterward, it will be transported to Kennedy Space Center in Florida for launch. During its planned 100-day mission, engineers at Ames Research Center in California will operate the rover. In September 2025, Blue Origin secured the contract for delivery through a Commercial Lunar Payload Services task order valued at up to $190 million.
Astrolab and Lunar Outpost develop lunar crew vehicles
NASA has issued task orders to Astrolab and Lunar Outpost to design and produce lunar terrain vehicles capable of transporting astronauts, equipment, and samples across the Moon’s surface. Astrolab is working on its CLV-1, which is based on its FLEX platform. Meanwhile, Lunar Outpost is creating Pegasus, a lighter version of its Eagle rover that can seat two astronauts. Both companies aim to deliver operational vehicles to NASA by the end of 2027, with Blue Origin having a task order to land them at the South Pole by 2028.
These vehicles are intended to be deployed on the Moon prior to crewed Artemis missions. Once in place, controllers on Earth will be able to operate them remotely, with a maximum range of 6 kilometers per day for surface mapping. A single charge of the batteries will support trips of up to 10 kilometers. Each rover is designed to facilitate up to three moonwalks per Artemis mission and carry as much as 80 kilograms of samples and tools. They are built to endure temperatures as low as minus 203 degrees Celsius in permanently shadowed regions.
Prototypes and early missions progress
Lunar Outpost has scheduled its preliminary design review for October, while Astrolab anticipates completing theirs by the end of December. To aid astronaut evaluation, Astrolab has provided a CLV-1 mockup to Axiom Space. Additionally, Lunar Outpost has built two mockups and sent a third static version to Johnson Space Center. Astrolab’s FLIP rover is slated to fly aboard Griffin Mission One in late 2026, with a second Lunar Outpost MAPP rover set for launch in early 2027.
This work on lunar rovers follows NASA’s return to crewed lunar flights with the Artemis II mission in April. Blue Origin plans to deploy its Blue Moon landers aboard the New Glenn rocket. NASA believes that these terrain vehicles will enable astronauts to reach geologically diverse regions of the lunar surface. The data collected by VIPER will also inform future landing sites where water ice may be accessible. Ultimately, the combination of robotic and crewed rovers aims to support the establishment of a sustainable human presence at the lunar South Pole.