WASHINGTON / RankWire.AI / – NASA has outlined progress on the crewed and robotic rovers it plans to use on the Moon as it prepares the ground for a permanent lunar base. The agency released a Moon Base video update on Tuesday, October 20, covering both robotic science rovers and vehicles that will carry astronauts. Robert Pickle, who directs the Surface Mobility Office in the Moon Base Program, described lunar rovers as central to NASA’s surface mobility strategy.
The Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER, is scheduled to travel to the Moon’s South Pole region in 2027. It will study permanently shadowed craters, searching for water and other resources that future crews could use. A Blue Origin Blue Moon Mark 1 lander will carry the rover to the surface. VIPER is expected to drive more than 30 kilometers, gathering information on temperature, light and terrain.
The rover is now fully assembled at Johnson Space Center in Houston, where it is undergoing final tests. It will then move to Kennedy Space Center in Florida for launch. Engineers at Ames Research Center in California will operate VIPER during its planned 100-day mission. Blue Origin won the delivery contract in September 2025 through a Commercial Lunar Payload Services task order valued at up to $190 million.
Astrolab and Lunar Outpost build crew rovers
NASA has awarded task orders to Astrolab and Lunar Outpost to develop lunar terrain vehicles capable of carrying astronauts, moving equipment and collecting samples. Astrolab is building its CLV-1, adapted from the company’s FLEX platform. Lunar Outpost is developing Pegasus, a lighter version of its Eagle rover that can seat two astronauts. Both firms aim to hand over flight-ready vehicles to NASA by the end of 2027. Blue Origin holds a task order to land them at the South Pole by 2028.
The vehicles will be placed on the Moon before crewed Artemis missions arrive. Controllers on Earth will be able to drive them remotely, covering up to 6 kilometers a day to map the surface. A single battery charge will allow trips of up to 10 kilometers. Each rover can support as many as three moonwalks per Artemis mission and haul up to 80 kilograms of samples and tools. They must withstand minus 203 degrees Celsius in permanently shadowed areas.
Prototypes and precursor missions advance
Lunar Outpost scheduled its preliminary design review for October, while Astrolab expects its review by the end of December. Astrolab has delivered a CLV-1 mockup to Axiom Space so astronauts can evaluate it. Lunar Outpost has built two mockups and sent a third static version to Johnson Space Center. Astrolab’s FLIP rover will fly aboard Griffin Mission One in late 2026. A second Lunar Outpost MAPP rover is set to launch in early 2027.
The rover work follows NASA’s return to crewed lunar flights with the Artemis II mission in April. Blue Origin plans to launch its Blue Moon landers on the New Glenn rocket. NASA said the terrain vehicles will let astronauts reach geologically diverse areas of the Moon. The agency will use VIPER’s data to plan where future crews can find usable water ice. Together, the robotic and crewed rovers are intended to support a lasting human presence at the lunar South Pole.