Leading provider of advanced technology and services to the rapidly expanding global space industry, MDA Ltd., has announced that it will be working with Lockheed Martin and General Motors. The joint project between the three companies will see MDA’s commercial robotic arm technology integrated with their planned human-rated lunar mobility vehicles. The announcement was made at the 37th annual Space Symposium in Colorado Springs where Lockheed Martin is showcasing an interactive digital experience of the lunar rover with an MDA robotic arm.
The initial announcement of a teaming agreement by Lockheed Martin and General Motors to develop the industrial lunar vehicle came in 2021.
Mike Greenley, CEO of MDA, is excited about the partnership: “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. 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.”
NASA intends to send humans back to the surface of the Moon in 2025 as part of their Artemis program. Once there, a variety of vehicles will be used to explore and conduct scientific experiments. The plan is for the rovers to remain permanently stationed on the Moon, available for use by both private and space agency astronauts.
Kirk Shireman, vice president of Lunar Exploration Campaigns at Lockheed Martin Space, explains, “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. 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 for not just NASA, but for international and commercial customers and adds to a truly global Artemis program.”