Three companies in the running for NASA's next Moon rover

WASHINGTON - Three companies are in the running to provide NASA's next Moon rover for crewed missions planned later this decade, the space agency said.

Texas-based Intuitive Machines -- which landed a robot near the lunar south pole in February -- Lunar Outpost of Colorado and Venturi Astrolab of California have been tasked with developing designs under a contract with a combined maximum potential value of $4.6-billion. 

The US space agency anticipates awarding one of the three companies a "demonstration task order" -- meaning a test run for their Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV), on the surface of the Moon, prior to the arrival of crew for the Artemis 5 mission that is currently set for 2030, according to NASA's latest budget request.

"We are building up the capabilities needed to establish a longer-term exploration and presence of the Moon," Jacob Bleacher, NASA's chief exploration scientist told reporters. "I like to imagine the views and the vistas that the LTV will enable us to see from the surface of the Moon."

NASA said it would be purchasing services from the companies, rather than buying their hardware -- a contract model it increasingly favors in order to reduce costs and to stimulate a wider space economy. Eventually, the chosen company could have its own private sector clients, too.

The US is planning to return astronauts to the Moon and build a sustained presence there under the Artemis program, named for the sister of Apollo in Greek mythology.

The first crewed mission, Artemis 3, is meant to land in 2026, though it's widely assumed that such a timeline is overly optimistic. China is also planning to send a crew to the Moon in 2030, as a new space race heats up.