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Ibadan, 10 May 2024. – Sidus Space has announced that it is a teammate on the NASA Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services (LTVS) Contract, which NASA awarded to the Intuitive Machines-led Moon Reusable Autonomous Crewed Exploration Rover (RACER) team announced earlier last month.
The contract represents the first phase of developing a crewed rover for human exploration of the Moon’s surface. The LTVS project consequently aims to create a feasibility roadmap for developing and deploying a Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) on the Moon using Intuitive Machines’ Nova-D cargo-class lunar lander. Intuitive Machine’s global team, including partners such as AVL, Boeing, Michelin, Northrop Grumman and Sidus Space, intends to design a robust LTV architecture with advanced power management, autonomous driving, communications, and navigation systems for lunar exploration.
Speaking on the development, Sidus Space CEO Carol Craig said, “We are happy to support Intuitive Machines and the Moon RACER team. Our collaborative work alongside industry leaders in lunar infrastructure creates an opportunity for Sidus to support a pivotal mission for today’s and tomorrow’s lunar efforts. Our work here allows us to showcase our decades of high-fidelity manufacturing heritage and assist in paving the future for lunar exploration and activity.”
NASA’s LTV Services project contract holds a total program value of more than $4 billion, with a two-phase structure across multiple potential awardees. Furthermore, Intuitive Machines expects to bid on the phase two LTV services award after completing the phase one feasibility assessment award. The phase two award will be for developing, delivering, and operating the LTV to the Moon.
As the prime contractor, Intuitive Machines intends to apply its experience as the only United States commercial company to deliver science and technology data from the surface of the Moon to lead systems integration, spacecraft design, energy management, and avionics, among others.
