Intuitive Machines unveiled the Moon RACER lunar terrain vehicle (LTV) at Space Center Houston on Thursday, November 7. RACER, an acronym for Reusable Autonomous Crewed Exploration Rover, accommodates two astronauts and some 400 kg (882 lbs.) of cargo, and is designed to pull a trailer loaded with an additional 800 kg (1,764 lbs.). The LTV was developed for NASA's Artemis campaign.
Intuitive Machines is one of three companies selected by NASA to advance LTV capabilities. The objective is to enable Artemis astronauts, like the Apollo-era moonwalkers before them, to drive the rover, which features a rechargeable electric battery and a robotic arm, across the lunar surface, to conduct scientific research and prepare for human missions to Mars.
In April 2024, NASA selected Intuitive Machines for the agency’s Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services Feasibility Assessment. Building on the Company’s success delivering payloads to the Moon’s surface, the Intuitive Machines-led Moon RACER team got to work creating a roadmap for a state-of-the-art LTV built to handle extreme conditions at the Moon’s South Pole and transportable by the Company’s Nova-D heavy cargo-class lunar lander.
Designed with input from Apollo-era moonwalkers Charlie Duke and Harrison Schmitt, the Intuitive Machines team thoughtfully factored in the astronauts’ experience driving the original Apollo rover. Some of the suggestions that factored into the pickup-truck-sized Moon RACER include a simplified and ergonomically designed seatbelt, paddle controls that are easier to operate while wearing bulky spacesuits and protective gloves, and the ability to drive the rover from either the driver or passenger side.
Under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, Intuitive Machines aims to provide essential lunar infrastructure services to NASA. Intuitive Machines will retain ownership and operational capabilities that will enable remote operation of the LTV between Artemis missions for approximately 10 years. This ensures commercial scientific discovery and long-term human space exploration continues, even when crews are not on the Moon. The LTV features advanced technologies for power management, autonomous driving, and communications and navigation systems.
“This procurement strategically aligns with the Company’s flight-proven capability to deliver payloads to the surface of the Moon under the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, further solidifying our position as a proven commercial contractor in lunar exploration,” said Steve Altemus, CEO of Intuitive Machines.
The static prototype of the LTV is undergoing human-in-the-loop testing by astronauts at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, while the fully electric mobile demonstration LTV undergoes field testing near Meteor Crater National Park in Arizona later this month. NASA is anticipated to announce its choice of LTV provider(s) in 2025, after which they will issue additional task orders to provide unpressurized rover capabilities for the agency’s moonwalking and scientific exploration needs through 2039.
The Intuitive Machines Moon RACER was engineered in partnership with, Atlas Devices, AVL, Barrios, Boeing, CSIRO, FUGRO, Michelin, Northrop Grumman and Roush.
Source: Intuitive Machines
