Rahul Somvanshi
Apollo astronauts used non-rechargeable silver-zinc battery rovers; Apollo 17’s total traverse reached about 22.3 miles. Now GM is contributing advanced battery technology to Lunar Outpost’s Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) concept, designed for about 30,000 kilometers (approximately 18,600 miles) of cumulative traverses over roughly a decade of service.
In August 2025, GM detailed its battery technology and role on Lunar Outpost’s LTV team for NASA’s Artemis program. The automaker supplies battery technology, chassis components, and autonomous features for the rover concept.
“Battery technology has truly gone to the Moon, and back,” said Kurt Kelty, GM’s VP of battery, propulsion, and sustainability, according to the GM news release.
The LTV uses modified NCMA (nickel cobalt manganese aluminum oxide) batteries – the same type powering GM’s current EVs like the Chevrolet Equinox EV and GMC Hummer EV. These batteries must survive extreme lunar temperatures as low as -334°F and combat the Moon’s electrostatically charged, abrasive dust.
Madhu Raghavan, GM’s battery architecture manager, explained the manufacturing process uses “super-precise laser welding” with “flash thermography” to inspect every connection. This technique helps ensure the rover batteries can operate in the harshest environment humans have ever driven.
The fault-tolerant battery system continues working even if some cells fail and includes heating elements with thermal insulation to protect against extreme cold. Design choices aim to maintain stability on rocky lunar terrain.
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The rover will support autonomous operations, including surface mapping; GM is contributing autonomy features informed by its Super Cruise technology. GM also provides the vehicle’s traction control, stability systems, and electronic steering.
“Returning to the Moon is great for our nation,” said Dr. Bruce Brown of GM Defense, according to the GM news release. “Few challenges are more extreme than safely transporting our astronauts across the surface of the Moon.”
NASA selected three companies in April 2024 to develop LTV concepts: Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost (with GM), and Venturi Astrolab. NASA will issue a subsequent request for a demonstration mission and anticipates selecting one provider; the timeline for this selection wasn’t specified in public materials.
Unlike the government-built Apollo rovers, NASA will procure the LTV as a service, with the selected company building the vehicle and NASA purchasing mobility services.
The consortium led by Lunar Outpost is officially named the “Lunar Dawn” team, which includes GM, Goodyear, MDA Space, and Leidos. Lunar Outpost’s rover concept is named “Eagle.”
