Leidos has become the newest member of the Lunar Outpost-led team tasked with developing a human-rated moon rover for NASA.
Lunar Outpost said Tuesday Leidos will join General Motors, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company and MDA Space in the Lunar Dawn team, which secured NASA’s Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services contract in April.
The team will develop an unpressurized moon rover capable of traveling great distances from its landing site. The LTV will also be used for commercial transport between Earth and the moon.
Leidos specializes in astronaut health and safety and will bring its expertise into the project, focusing on reducing human error and developing an efficient way for astronauts to operate the LTV. In addition, Leidos will provide support for mission assurance, systems engineering, operations and integration planning.
The Lunar Dawn team will leverage each company’s strengths and areas of expertise including robotic and human space exploration, cutting edge technology and the automotive industry in developing the LTV.
Forrest Meyen, Lunar Dawn program manager and co-founder at Lunar Outpost, emphasized the importance of Leidos’ extensive experience and deep understanding of the project. “Astronaut safety is our number one priority when building our vehicle, and we are thrilled to have the industry leader in human-centered design on our team.”