MIT Researchers Investigating Electrostatic / Ion Propulsion Concept for Moon and Asteroid Exploration
With current propulsion technologies capable of operation in atmosphere-free environments limited to chemical rockets and ground-based locomotion, MIT supported by NASA is pioneering novel technique harnessing electrical charge found on such bodies via repulsive effect of Mylar; Initial experiments published in AIAA Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets suggest with micro ion booster augmentation sufficient lift to raise a 0.9kg craft 1cm can be achieved; Levitation technique would allow traversing otherwise impassable “very rough, unexplored terrain” per study co-author Paulo Lozano (B)
Seeking to overcome range constraints of single-landing craft and speed limitations of ground rovers, international science engineering teams utilizing computer modelling promote alternative rocket ‘hopper’ concept first used on Lunar surface during Surveyor 6 (1967) and Pogo-stick style locomotion; NASA CLPS lunar lander provider Intuitive Machines is to carry Micro-Nova, capable of traversing 2.4km with 900 gram payload capacity, on IM-2 mission near Shackleton Rim; Micro-Nova may allow investigation of otherwise inaccessible PSRs, thought to contain water ice
NASA to construct its first autonomous Moon rover, 
CEO Pavlo Tanasyuk indicates UK company Spacebit will plant Ukraine national flag on Moon, held aloft by Ukrainian-mined titanium pole along with radiation and thermal sensors; Comments given during National Day at Expo 2020 Dubai (a 182-day event hosted on 4.4 km2 grounds in UAE) were unclear on which lander will be booked for mission, with Astrobotic to deliver 1.4-kg Asagumo walking rover on Peregrine and unspecified Spacebit payload on Intuitive Machines IM-1; Both CLPS providers striving for Q1 2022 launch
93km2 area between Nobile (85.2°S, 53.5°E) and Malapert craters 137km from Moon South Pole to be site of Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission, selection based on criteria including sunlight availability, Earth visibility / communication, likelihood of finding water and navigable terrain, winnowed from 15 considered sites and 4 finalists; 100-day nominal mission expected to traverse 16-24km while utilizing TRIDENT drill and 3 sensors, launch Q4 2023 on SpaceX Falcon 9 / Astrobotic Griffin under US$199.5M CLPS contract
5 USA companies engaged in Artemis-related engineering bolstered by $2.5-5M SBIR/STTR Sequential Phase 2 awards for maturation of technologies to aid sustainable exploration of Moon; Troxel Aerospace (Gainesville FL) investigating technique allowing use of Off-The-Shelf avionics in radioactive environment; Motiv Space (Pasadena CA) working on electric actuators to drive rovers/landers/robots on Moon and Mars; Alameda Applied Sciences (Oakland CA) building deep space smallsat propulsion; Advanced Cooling Technologies (Lancaster PA) and Ashwin-Ushas (Marlboro NJ) developing vehicle thermal regulation for exploration of PSRs
NASA Moon Rover VIPER Meets Risk, Cost And Schedule Constraints Of ‘Key Decision Point C’ Internal Assessment, Clearing Way For Operational Planning And Construction; 1.5×1.5×2.5m, 430kg Vehicle To Be Built At JSC With Instrument Input From KSC / Honeybee Robotics, Managed From Ames Research Center, Is To Land Late 2023 Via Astrobotic Griffin In MSP Region For ~100 Day Mission During Which 1-Meter TRIDENT Drill And 3 Spectrometers Will Be Controlled With Little Lag From Earth Through X Band / Deep Space Network As Volatile-Seeking Mission Traverses 20km
Opportunity To Test Technologies Meant For Moon Offered By 
A Lunar Vehicle Capable Of Both Autonomous And Crewed Function, Powered By Hybrid Hydrogen Fuel Cells / Solar Panel, Receives Nickname Homage To Venerable ‘Land Cruiser’ Line Of Off-Road Vehicles Said To Ensure Occupants ‘Come Back Alive’; The 6-wheeled, 6-meter Long Vessel Is To Contain 42.67 Meter2 Pressurized Crew Cabin And Have Range Of ~10,000-km, About The Circumference Of The Moon; Lunar Cruiser Considered Focal Point For Team Japan Study Meeting, A 100+ Strong Association Of Japan Enterprises With Goal Of Lunar Society Actualization