Those who follow the exploits of Elon Musk are likely familiar with the Tesla CEO's other business ventures, including SpaceX.
But for all the billionaire's talk about colonizing Mars and the moon, it's a Tesla rival moving forward with plans to power lunar vehicles.
What Happened: NASA recently announced that three teams are developing a lunar terrain vehicle to take astronauts to the Moon. Among the companies working on a lunar vehicle are Intuitive Machines (NASDAQ:LUNR), the company that recently helped the U.S. land on the Moon for the first time since 1972.
One of the other teams developing a lunar vehicle is Lunar Outpost, a contractor partnering with General Motors (NYSE:GM), Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT), Goodyear Tire (NASDAQ:GT) and MDA Space.
According to InsideEVs, the lunar terrain vehicle from the team could be powered by the Ultium technology used by GM for its electric vehicles like the Chevrolet Blazer EV, GMC Hummer EV and Cadillac Lyriq.
Other teams include companies like Intuitive Machines, Boeing, Michelin, Northrop Grumman, Axiom Space and Odyssey Space Research.
The teams will work on a yearlong study for the development of the vehicle, with a requirement including being able to be remotely controlled in case astronauts can't control the vehicle.
NASA will likely pick one winning team and work with them to develop the vehicle before it heads to the Moon.
"With a rich legacy supporting our nation's space program, General Motors is thrilled to support American astronauts once again as they embark on this important mission to the moon," a GM spokesperson was quoted saying by Automotive News.
Related Link: Elon Musk Celebrates US 'Landing On The Moon' For First Time Since 1972 – 'Congrats'
Why It's Important: The moon landing in early 2024 may have increased aspirations to get astronauts back to the lunar surface.
NASA wants to take astronauts to the Moon in 2026 and would like to have a new vehicle for them to help get around on the surface. Artemis I was deployed in November 2022 and is set to be followed with Artemis II as early as September 2025 and Artemis III as early as September 2026.
Musk has often feuded with billionaire and Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos over the two billionaire's space aspirations.
If a vehicle made with General Motors electric vehicle technology ends up being selected as the winning lunar vehicle, it could lead to the rivalry between the two automotive companies also shifting over to space.
SpaceX has several contracts in place with NASA including for the Artemis project, which means that Musk's space company could someday transport a GM made vehicle to the Moon.
Image: Pixabay
那些关注埃隆·马斯克漏洞的人可能熟悉特斯拉首席执行官的其他商业活动，包括SpaceX。
但是，尽管这位亿万富翁一直在谈论殖民火星和月球，但它是特斯拉的竞争对手，正在推进为月球飞行器提供动力的计划。
发生了什么：美国宇航局最近宣布，三个团队正在开发一种月球地形飞行器，用于将宇航员送上月球。研发月球飞行器的公司包括Intuitive Machines（纳斯达克股票代码：LUNR），该公司最近自1972年以来首次帮助美国登陆月球。
开发月球飞行器的另一个团队是Lunar Outpost，这是一家与通用汽车（纽约证券交易所代码：GM）、洛克希德·马丁公司（纽约证券交易所代码：LMT）、固特异轮胎（纳斯达克股票代码：GT）和MDA Space合作的承包商。
根据InsideEVS的说法，该团队的月球地形车可能由通用汽车在雪佛兰开拓者电动汽车、GMC悍马电动汽车和凯迪拉克Lyriq等电动汽车中使用的Ultium技术提供动力。
其他团队包括Intuitive Machines、波音、米其林、诺斯罗普·格鲁曼公司、Axiom Space和奥德赛太空研究等公司。
这些团队将对该飞行器的开发进行为期一年的研究，其要求包括能够进行远程控制，以防宇航员无法控制飞行器。
美国宇航局很可能会选出一支获胜的团队，在飞行器登上月球之前与他们合作开发该飞行器。
《汽车新闻》援引通用汽车发言人的话说：“凭借丰富的遗产支持我们国家的太空计划，通用汽车很高兴再次支持美国宇航员踏上这项重要的登月任务。”
相关链接：埃隆·马斯克自1972年以来首次庆祝美国 “登上月球” — “恭喜”
为何重要：2024年初的登月可能增加了让宇航员重返月球表面的愿望。
美国宇航局希望在2026年将宇航员带到月球上，并希望为他们提供一辆新的飞行器来帮助他们在地表上四处走动。Artemis I 于 2022 年 11 月部署，最早定于 2025 年 9 月部署 Artemis II，最早在 2026 年 9 月部署 Artemis III。
马斯克经常与亿万富翁和亚马逊创始人杰夫·贝佐斯就两位亿万富翁的太空愿望发生争执。
如果采用通用汽车电动汽车技术制造的车辆最终被选为获胜的月球飞行器，则可能导致两家汽车公司之间的竞争也转移到太空。
SpaceX与美国宇航局签订了几份合同，包括阿耳忒弥斯项目，这意味着马斯克的太空公司有朝一日可能会将通用汽车制造的飞行器运送到月球。
图片：Pixabay
