WASHINGTON / RankWire.AI / – On Tuesday, October 20, NASA shared an update detailing the progress of its robotic and crewed lunar rovers, as part of its efforts to establish a permanent presence on the Moon. The agency released a Moon Base video update, covering both science vehicles and transport modules designed to carry astronauts. Robert Pickle, who oversees the Surface Mobility Office within the Moon Base Program, emphasized that lunar rovers are a core element of NASA’s surface mobility plans.
Scheduled for 2027, the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER, will journey to the Moon’s South Pole region. Its mission includes exploring permanently shadowed craters in search of water and other vital resources to support future crews. The rover will be delivered to the surface aboard a Blue Origin Blue Moon Mark 1 lander. VIPER is projected to cover over 30 kilometers while collecting data on temperature, light conditions, and terrain characteristics.
Currently, VIPER is fully assembled at Johnson Space Center in Houston and is undergoing final testing phases. Following this, it will be transported to Kennedy Space Center in Florida for launch preparations. During its planned 100-day mission, engineers at Ames Research Center in California will operate the rover. The delivery contract was awarded to Blue Origin in September 2025 under 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 lunar terrain vehicles capable of carrying astronauts, transporting equipment, and gathering samples. Astrolab is working on its CLV-1, a model adapted from the company’s FLEX platform, while Lunar Outpost is developing 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 holding a task order to land them at the South Pole by 2028.
These vehicles will be stationed on the Moon prior to crewed Artemis missions. Controllers on Earth will be able to remotely operate them, with a range of up to 6 kilometers daily for surface mapping. A single battery charge will support trips of up to 10 kilometers. Each rover is designed to handle as many as three moonwalks per Artemis mission and can carry up to 80 kilograms of samples and tools. They are engineered to endure temperatures as low as minus 203 degrees Celsius in permanently shadowed regions.
Prototype Development and Early Missions Progress
Lunar Outpost is preparing for its preliminary design review scheduled for October, while Astrolab anticipates completing its review by late December. Astrolab has also provided a CLV-1 mockup to Axiom Space for astronaut evaluation, and Lunar Outpost has built two mockups along with a static version sent to Johnson Space Center. The FLIP rover from Astrolab is planned to fly aboard Griffin Mission One in late 2026, with a second Lunar Outpost MAPP rover set for launch early in 2027.
This rover development effort follows NASA’s return to crewed lunar missions, marked by the Artemis II mission in April. Blue Origin intends to launch its Blue Moon landers aboard the New Glenn rocket. According to NASA, these terrain vehicles will enable astronauts to access geologically diverse regions of the Moon. The agency plans to use VIPER’s data to identify optimal locations for future water ice collection, supporting the goal of establishing a sustained human presence at the lunar South Pole through both robotic and crewed exploration.