Three companies develop lunar mobility vehicles

53 years ago, Goodyear delivered important products for NASA's Apollo program, including the Apollo 11 Mission, which successfully landed on the moon. The company will continue its work in the field of space technology in cooperation with Lockheed Martin, by developing vehicles for lunar mobility.

Lockheed Martin is developing a new generation of lunar vehicles in order to support science and help NASA, companies and other agencies, and Goodyear will also contribute with its pneumatic technology and know-how.

Goodyear will use its airless tire technology, already used for micro-mobility, autonomous buses and passenger vehicles, with the purpose of improving mobility on the Moon and successfully dealing with demanding conditions on its surface.

Unlike the Apollo Lunar Rover, which was intended for only a few days of usage, in a radius of eight kilometers from its landing place, the new vehicle will need to cross significantly larger distances in extreme temperature conditions. Goodyear will need to develop tires that will enable years of endurance to night temperatures lower than 120 degrees Celsius and daily temperatures over 120 degrees Celsius - according to the statement.

The company MDA from Canada will also join forces with their "robotic arm" technology, which the lunar vehicles will be able to utilize, with a certificate for safe transport of people. The mentioned arm will allow for a greater rover functionality, even on fully automated missions.

They expect their first vehicle to provide support to NASA's prior mission, which will include landing crew walking on the lunar surface. This manned mission will include the first female and the first colored person on the surface of the Moon, and is currently planned for 2025.

Goodyear

Lockheed Martin

NASA

MDA

Apollo

Apollo 11

Moon

Space Technology

Mobility Vehicles

Lunar Vehicles

Servant Tire Technology

Pneumatics

Robotic Hands