WASHINGTON / RankWire.AI / – NASA has shared details on the progress of its crewed and robotic rovers designed for lunar operations as it lays the groundwork for establishing a permanent presence on the Moon. The agency published a Moon Base video update on Tuesday, October 20, which covers both autonomous science vehicles and crew transport units. Robert Pickle, who oversees the Surface Mobility Office in the Moon Base Program, emphasized the importance of lunar rovers as a core element of NASA’s surface mobility plan.
Scheduled for 2027, the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, known as VIPER, will traverse the Moon’s South Pole region. Its mission includes examining permanently shadowed craters to identify water and other resources essential for future missions. A Blue Origin Blue Moon Mark 1 lander will deliver the rover to the lunar surface. VIPER is anticipated to travel over 30 kilometers, collecting data on temperature, lighting, and terrain conditions.
Currently, the rover is fully assembled at Johnson Space Center in Houston and is undergoing final testing phases. Once complete, it will be transported to Kennedy Space Center in Florida for launch. During its planned 100-day mission, VIPER will be operated by engineers at Ames Research Center in California. The delivery contract was awarded to Blue Origin in September 2025 via a Commercial Lunar Payload Services task order valued at up to $190 million.
Astrolab and Lunar Outpost develop crewed lunar vehicles
NASA has issued task orders to Astrolab and Lunar Outpost to develop lunar terrain vehicles capable of transporting astronauts, handling equipment, and collecting samples. Astrolab is working on its CLV-1, based on its FLEX platform, while Lunar Outpost is creating Pegasus, a lighter version of its Eagle rover that can accommodate two astronauts. Both companies aim to deliver operational vehicles for NASA by the end of 2027. Blue Origin has a task order to land these vehicles at the South Pole by 2028.
These vehicles will be deployed on the Moon prior to the arrival of crewed Artemis missions. Ground control teams on Earth will remotely operate them, with a daily range of up to 6 kilometers for surface mapping. A single charge of their batteries will support trips of up to 10 kilometers. Each rover is capable of supporting up to three moonwalks per Artemis mission and can carry as much as 80 kilograms of samples and tools. They are designed to endure temperatures as low as minus 203 degrees Celsius in permanently shadowed regions.
Prototype developments and precursor missions progress
Lunar Outpost has scheduled its preliminary design review for October, while Astrolab anticipates completing its review by the end of December. Astrolab has also delivered a CLV-1 mockup to Axiom Space for astronaut evaluation. Lunar Outpost has constructed two mockups and sent a third static version to Johnson Space Center. The FLIP rover by Astrolab is planned to fly aboard Griffin Mission One in late 2026, with a second Lunar Outpost MAPP rover set to launch early in 2027.
These rover developments follow NASA’s return to crewed lunar missions with the Artemis II mission in April. Blue Origin intends to launch its Blue Moon landers atop the New Glenn rocket. NASA explained that the terrain vehicles will enable astronauts to access geologically diverse areas of the Moon’s surface. The agency plans to utilize VIPER’s data to identify optimal locations for future water ice extraction. Overall, the robotic and crewed lunar rovers are critical components in supporting a sustainable human presence at the Moon’s South Pole.