In April 2024, NASA selected three finalists to design, build, and pitch their own Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) for the Artemis program within 12 months. Ever since, Intuitive Machines, Venturi Astrolab, and Lunar Outpost have raced to meet the impending deadline to deliver the best moon car plan possible. Lunar Outpost's Lunar Dawn team revealed its latest high-fidelity prototype, the Lunar Outpost Eagle, on April 8. The vehicle will officially debut at Space Symposium 2025 in Colorado Springs and provide attendees with the closest look yet at the Artemis program hopeful. Eagle is the fourth prototype iteration so far, and was built in collaboration from General Motors, Goodyear, MDA Space, and Leidos, the Eagle is envisioned as the "quintessential Space Truck," according to AJ Gemer, Lunar Outpost CTO.

Moon exploration is undergoing a potentially transformative moment. Over the course of six weeks, three different lunar landers began a rocket-fueled space journey to learn more about Earth's nearest neighbor. All three landers are operated by private, and relatively newly-formed companies. That's a marked shift away from space exploration of the 20th century, which was dominated by state-backed, public institutions like NASA. If they complete their missions, these space upstarts could help pave the way for future planned human moon missions, and possibly, even a not-too distant lunar economy.

A new age of commercial moon exploration is upon us, and one of the most exciting missions yet is about to launch--one laden with rovers, a drill, and even a hopper spacecraft that will try to "jump" into a permanently dark lunar crater to search for ice. The IM-2 mission, from Texas-based company Intuitive Machines, is scheduled to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida on Wednesday, February 26. The lander, nicknamed Athena and about the size of a car, is partially funded by NASA, as the US space agency attempts to create a new lunar economy that can support upcoming planned human missions to the moon. "NASA and the space industry is creating a new business, getting science and payloads to the surface of the moon," says Laura Forczyk, founder of the Georgia-based space consultancy firm Astralytical. "And these uncrewed missions are preparing us to send humans."

On February 22nd, a robotic lander named Odysseus touched down on the sun-washed highlands near the south pole of the moon. It was the first time since the Apollo 17 mission, fifty-two years ago, that an American spacecraft had gracefully landed on the lunar surface. And yet NASA hadn't designed or built Odysseus; it was renting space onboard. Intuitive Machines, a relatively small aerospace firm based in Houston, was responsible for the lander, which launched atop a SpaceX rocket. The event was historic not just because it signalled a return to the moon but because it was the first time that a private company from any country had landed a spacecraft there.

America is set to return to the moon on Thursday, marking the first time a US-made craft touched down on the lunar surface since the last Apollo mission in 1972. Odysseus, or Odie, is soaring through space, but unlike previous trips, this one is owned by Houston-based Intuitive Machines. The six-legged robot lander is scheduled to touch down at 6:24pm ET at a crater called Malapert A near the moon's south pole. The landing attempt will be livestreamed on NASA TV beginning at 5pm ET. While the mission is operated by a private company, NASA has sponsored the journey to take its scientific instruments and technology to the moon.

A shoebox-sized robot named Iris is among the final two vying for the chance to become the first US spacecraft to land on the moon in 50 years. NASA has been sending rovers to the surface of Mars for decades, with two, Perseverance and Curiosity, currently operating and sending back photographs. However, the US-based space agency hasn't sent a vehicle to explore the surface of the moon since the last Apollo landing in 1972 - 50 years ago this year. Two contractors funded by NASA have vehicles that could launch this year - including Houston-based Intuitive Machines, and Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic. With contracts worth more than $70 million each, the firms could launch for the moon this year on a mixture of SpaceX Falcon 9 and United Launch Alliance rockets.