As SpaceX’s Starship test program continues to expand, the company has signed a second commercial agreement to deliver payloads to the moon using a lunar lander variant of the larger vehicle.
Starship will put a rugged Lunar Outpost rover, called Eagle, on the moon by 2029, the Colorado-based startup said. The director of the Lunar Outpost, Justin Cyrus, declined to give further details about the mission, such as whether it would be a dedicated flight or a part-board, or the cost. It’s also unclear how exactly Starship will transport the rover, which looks like a small truck, from inside the vehicle to the surface.
The ambitions of the Lunar Outpost’s rover got a boost from NASA earlier this year when the space agency chose, along with two other teams, the first phase of the Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) project. The three teams were selected for a one-year contract to develop their rover concepts for use by astronauts under NASA’s Artemis program. The 12-month period will expire in the next call for tenders, where three companies will compete to present the work.
The LTV program has the potential to make more money: The total potential value of work orders over the next 13 years is $4.6 billion, although the agency said that due to budget concerns, it is only selecting one provider.
Even if the Lunar Outpost-led team, which also includes Leidos, General Motors, Goodyear, and MDA Space, is not selected by NASA, Cyrus said the company plans to continue developing the rover.
“The Lunar Outpost Eagle is our flagship vehicle and will be the backbone of outposts to other planets,” he said in an emailed statement. “Our company has been focused on mobility since its inception and the lunar vehicle has expanded our capabilities to lead an industry that opens up a strong presence on the moon and Mars.”
The startup also closed a Series A round of undisclosed funding last month to support several initiatives, including rover development.
The new Starship cargo contract follows a similar deal SpaceX made last year with Venturi Astrolab – which is also leading the team selected under the LTV program – to send its rover to the moon.