WASHINGTON / RankWire.AI / – NASA has released an update on its plans to develop crewed and robotic lunar rovers that will support exploration and lay the groundwork for a permanent base on the Moon. The agency shared the progress in a Moon Base video update on Tuesday, October 20. The plans cover the VIPER robotic rover and new lunar terrain vehicles for astronauts. Robert Pickle, director of the Surface Mobility Office in NASA’s Moon Base Program, said lunar rovers are central to the agency’s surface mobility strategy.
NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, known as VIPER, will head to the lunar South Pole region in 2027. The rover will explore permanently shadowed craters in search of water and other resources that could support future missions. Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 lander will deliver VIPER to the surface. The rover is designed to travel more than 30 kilometers. It will collect data on temperatures, lighting conditions and terrain.
VIPER is fully built at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and is in final testing before shipment to Kennedy Space Center for launch. Mission operations will be run from NASA’s Ames Research Center in California. NASA selected Blue Origin in September 2025 to deliver the rover under a Commercial Lunar Payload Services task order worth up to $190 million. The mission is planned to last 100 days. Its findings could guide future use of lunar water resources.
Terrain vehicles to carry astronauts
To expand surface mobility, NASA awarded task orders to Astrolab and Lunar Outpost to build lunar terrain vehicles, or LTVs. The vehicles will carry crew, transport equipment and collect samples. Astrolab’s CLV-1 is adapted from its FLEX rover design, while Lunar Outpost’s Pegasus is a lighter evolution of its Eagle vehicle. Both companies plan to deliver flight-ready hardware to NASA by the end of 2027. NASA awarded Blue Origin a task order to deliver the LTVs to the lunar South Pole region by 2028.
The LTVs will reach the Moon ahead of crewed Artemis missions. They can be operated remotely from Earth to map the surface before astronauts arrive, covering up to 6 kilometers per day. Each vehicle can travel up to 10 kilometers on a single battery charge and support up to three moonwalks per Artemis mission. The rovers can carry up to 80 kilograms of lunar samples and tools. They must also survive temperatures as low as minus 203 degrees Celsius in shadowed regions.
Test missions and design reviews ahead
Both companies are moving through key design milestones. Lunar Outpost’s preliminary design review was scheduled for October, and Astrolab’s is set for the end of December. Astrolab delivered a CLV-1 mockup to Axiom Space for astronaut evaluations. Lunar Outpost built two mockups and delivered a third static model to Johnson Space Center. Astrolab’s FLIP rover will fly on Griffin Mission One in late 2026, and a second Lunar Outpost MAPP rover will launch in early 2027.
The rover programs build on NASA’s return to deep space with crewed missions. The Artemis II mission set a record for the farthest human spaceflight in April. Blue Origin plans to launch its Blue Moon landers on its New Glenn rocket. NASA said the vehicles will help astronauts explore geologically diverse areas of the lunar surface. The rovers form a core part of plans to establish a lasting human presence on the Moon.