WASHINGTON / RankWire.AI / – NASA has provided an update on its progress with both crewed and robotic rovers set to operate on the Moon, advancing preparations for establishing a permanent lunar settlement. The agency shared a Moon Base video update on Tuesday, October 20, which details developments related to robotic science rovers and transportation vehicles designed to carry astronauts. Robert Pickle, who heads the Surface Mobility Office within the Moon Base Program, emphasized the importance of lunar rovers as a core element of NASA’s surface mobility approach.
Scheduled for 2027, the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER, will journey to the Moon’s South Pole region to examine permanently shadowed craters, aiming to identify water and other vital resources for future crews. It will be delivered to the surface aboard a Blue Origin Blue Moon Mark 1 lander. VIPER is anticipated to cover over 30 kilometers, collecting data on temperature, light, and terrain conditions.
Currently, the rover is fully assembled at Johnson Space Center in Houston, where it is undergoing final testing phases before moving to Kennedy Space Center in Florida for launch. During its planned 100-day mission, VIPER will be operated by engineers based at Ames Research Center in California. In September 2025, Blue Origin secured the delivery contract through a Commercial Lunar Payload Services task order valued at up to $190 million.
Astrolab and Lunar Outpost develop crew-capable lunar rovers
NASA has issued task orders to Astrolab and Lunar Outpost to create lunar terrain vehicles capable of transporting astronauts, moving equipment, and collecting samples. Astrolab is constructing its CLV-1, which is based on the company’s FLEX platform, while Lunar Outpost is working on Pegasus, a lighter variant of its Eagle rover designed to seat two astronauts. Both companies aim to deliver operational vehicles to NASA by the end of 2027. Blue Origin holds a task order to land these vehicles at the South Pole by 2028.
These vehicles will be stationed on the Moon prior to the arrival of crewed Artemis missions. Earth-based controllers will be able to remotely operate them, enabling coverage of up to 6 kilometers daily for surface mapping. A single charge can support trips of up to 10 kilometers. Each rover is designed to facilitate up to three moonwalks per Artemis mission and can 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 preliminary missions progress
Lunar Outpost is planning its initial design review for October, with Astrolab expecting to complete its review by the end of December. As part of testing, Astrolab has delivered a CLV-1 mockup to Axiom Space for astronaut assessment. Lunar Outpost has built two mockups and dispatched a static version to Johnson Space Center. Astrolab’s FLIP rover is scheduled to fly on Griffin Mission One in late 2026, while a second Lunar Outpost MAPP rover is slated for launch early in 2027.
This rover development effort follows NASA’s return to crewed lunar missions with the Artemis II mission in April. Blue Origin intends to deploy its Blue Moon landers via the New Glenn rocket. NASA highlighted that these terrain vehicles will allow astronauts to access geologically diverse regions of the Moon. The agency will utilize VIPER’s data to determine optimal locations for future crews to find accessible water ice. Overall, the robotic and crewed lunar rovers are designed to support a sustained human presence at the South Pole of the Moon.