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NASA Eyes Sending Mars Rover Twin to Moon for South Pole Exploration

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • NASA is considering sending a twin model of its Mars rovers, Curiosity and Perseverance, to the Moon.
  • The rover, named PROMISE, would leverage its proven technology for extreme environments to explore the lunar south pole.
  • This initiative is part of NASA's broader plan to establish a lunar base, including sending four private lunar landers by 2028.

NASA is exploring a novel mission to send a technology demonstration model of its Mars rovers to the lunar south pole. The rover, dubbed PROMISE (Polar Observation and Mapping, In-Situ Exploration), is designed to withstand extreme environments, mirroring the capabilities of its Mars-bound counterparts, Curiosity and Perseverance.

We are considering this plan very seriously.

— Bill NelsonNASA Administrator Bill Nelson discussing the potential mission of sending a Mars rover twin to the Moon.

Currently housed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, PROMISE has served as a crucial testbed for potential issues Mars rovers might encounter. NASA plans to adapt this rover, which is about the size of an SUV and weighs approximately one ton, for lunar exploration. Its ability to operate in the Moon's frigid, dimly lit south pole is attributed to its nuclear battery, which uses the decay heat of plutonium-238, allowing for continuous operation even during the two-week lunar night.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson stated that the idea of repurposing a Mars rover for the Moon emerged from questions about the necessity of a third rover on Mars. He expressed serious consideration for the plan, anticipating significant capabilities on the lunar south pole. The PROMISE rover would likely be transported by large lunar landers such as SpaceX's Starship or Blue Origin's Blue Moon.

We expect it to demonstrate tremendous capabilities on the lunar south pole in the near future.

— Bill NelsonNASA Administrator Bill Nelson expressing optimism about the PROMISE rover's potential on the Moon.

In parallel, NASA is advancing its lunar base construction goals by contracting with three companies, Astrobotic Technology, Intuitive Machines, and Firefly Aerospace, for a total of $600 million. These companies will send four uncrewed landers to the Moon by the end of 2028 to deploy scientific instruments and demonstrate technologies for base construction. Despite past challenges with some of these companies' lunar missions, NASA aims to leverage their experience, with each lander equipped with common scientific instruments to study lunar dust impacts and measure radiation.

We will bring the long-distance driving and rugged terrain exploration capabilities proven on Mars directly to the Moon.

— Carlos Garcia-GalánCarlos Garcia-Galán, NASA's Lunar Base Program Lead, describing the PROMISE rover's intended capabilities.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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