DENVER, May 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin
[NYSE: LMT] and General Motors Co. [NYSE: GM] are teaming up to
develop the next generation of lunar vehicles to transport
astronauts on the surface of the Moon, fundamentally evolving and
expanding humanity's deep-space exploration footprint.
NASA's Artemis program is sending humans back to the Moon
where they will explore and conduct scientific experiments using a
variety of rovers. NASA sought industry approaches to develop a
Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) that will enable astronauts to explore
the lunar surface farther than ever before. The LTV is the first of
many types of surface mobility vehicles needed for NASA's Artemis
program.
To support NASA's mission, the two industry leaders
will develop a unique vehicle with innovative capabilities,
drawing on their unparalleled engineering, performance, technology
and reliability legacies. The result may allow astronauts to
explore the lunar surface in unprecedented fashion and support
discovery in places where humans have never gone before.
Lockheed Martin will lead the team by leveraging its more than
50-year-history of working with NASA on deep-space human and
robotic spacecraft, such as NASA's Orion exploration-class
spaceship for Artemis and numerous Mars and planetary
spacecraft.
"This alliance brings together powerhouse innovation from both
companies to make a transformative class of vehicles," said
Rick Ambrose, executive vice
president, Lockheed Martin Space. "Surface mobility is critical to
enable and sustain long-term exploration of the lunar surface.
These next-generation rovers will dramatically extend the range of
astronauts as they perform high-priority science investigation on
the Moon that will ultimately impact humanity's understanding of
our place in the solar system."
GM is a leader in battery-electric technologies and propulsion
systems that are central to its multi-brand, multi-segment electric
vehicle strategy, positioning the company for an all-electric
future. Additionally, GM will use autonomous technology
to facilitate safer and more efficient operations on the Moon.
"General Motors made history by applying advanced technologies
and engineering to support the Lunar Rover Vehicle that the Apollo
15 astronauts drove on the Moon," said Alan
Wexler, senior vice president of Innovation and Growth at
General Motors. "Working together with Lockheed Martin and their
deep-space exploration expertise, we plan to support American
astronauts on the Moon once again."
GM has a proven history of supporting NASA and working within
the space industry. The company manufactured, tested and integrated
the inertial guidance and navigation systems for the entire
Apollo Moon program, including
Apollo 11 and the first human landing in 1969. GM also helped
develop the electric Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV), including
the chassis and wheels for the LRV that was used on Apollo's 15-17
missions.
Unlike the Apollo rovers that only traveled 4.7 miles (7.6
kilometers) from the landing site, the next-generation lunar
vehicles are being designed to traverse significantly farther
distances to support the first excursions of the Moon's south pole,
where it is cold and dark with more rugged terrain.
Autonomous, self-driving systems will allow the rovers to
prepare for human landings, provide commercial payload services,
and enhance the range and utility of scientific payloads and
experiments.
Lockheed Martin brings unparalleled experience and capabilities
in deep-space exploration. It has built spacecraft and systems that
have gone to every planet, been on every NASA mission to Mars
including building 11 of the agency's Mars spacecraft, and played
major roles on the space shuttle program and International Space
Station power systems.
- Announcement press conference replay:
https://youtu.be/TpXz6QAAJWE
- Rover animation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5869l2cKLZw
- Feature story:
https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/news/features/2021/lunar-terrain-vehicle.html
About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda,
Maryland, Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is a global security
and aerospace company that employs approximately 114,000 people
worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design,
development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced
technology systems, products and services.
Please follow @LMNews on Twitter for the latest announcements
and news across the corporation.
About General Motors
General Motors (NYSE:GM) is a global company focused on advancing
an all-electric future that is inclusive and accessible to all. At
the heart of this strategy is the Ultium battery platform, which
powers everything from mass-market to high-performance vehicles.
General Motors, its subsidiaries and its joint venture entities
sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, Baojun and
Wuling brands. More information on the company and its
subsidiaries, including GM Defense LLC, which delivers integrated
vehicles, power and propulsion, autonomy, mobility and security
solutions to global aerospace, defense and security markets, can be
found at https://www.gm.com and https://www.gmdefensellc.com.
View original content to download
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lockheed-martin-general-motors-team-up-to-develop-next-generation-lunar-rover-for-nasa-artemis-astronauts-to-explore-the-moon-301300065.html
SOURCE Lockheed Martin; GM Defense