MDA Joins Lunar Rover Development Team
April 5, 2022
MDA Ltd., which develops advanced technologies and services for the space industry, has announced it is working with Lockheed Martin and General Motors to integrate MDA’s commercial robotic arm technology on a planned human-rated lunar mobility vehicle.
The addition of MDA to the industrial lunar vehicle development team follows the announcement of an agreement between Lockheed Martin and GM in 2021. The vehicle is expected to be a part of NASA’s Artemis program, which plans to send humans back to the surface of the moon in 2025, where they will explore and conduct scientific experiments with a variety of vehicles. The rovers would be permanently stationed on the Moon’s surface, where they could be used by other private and space agency astronauts.
“We are thrilled to be collaborating with industry stalwarts Lockheed Martin and General Motors on this first-of-its-kind initiative to equip their lunar rovers with commercial robotic arms from MDA,” said Mike Greenley, CEO of MDA. “We believe this collaboration will enable all three companies to continue to define the art of the possible, push the boundaries of space innovation, and provide the world’s astronauts with the technology they need to reach further than they ever have before.”
The announcement was made at the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, where Lockheed Martin is showcasing an interactive digital experience of the lunar rover with an MDA robotic arm.
“The Lunar Mobility Vehicle enables exploration of the surface of the Moon in multiple scales and in unprecedented fashion, both for human and robotic exploration and utilization,” said Kirk Shireman, vice president of lunar exploration campaigns at Lockheed Martin Space. “Bringing on MDA’s world-renowned robotics to this vehicle is a major enabler in its capability. Our industry-led commercial development, now with MDA, brings down the cost of access to the Moon not just for NASA, but for international and commercial customers and adds to a truly global Artemis program.”
For more details on MDA and its space technologies, visit its website here.
