Crewed Lunar Vehicle-1 (CLV-1) by Venturi Astrolab: status and timeline

Crewed Lunar Vehicle-1 (CLV-1)

Support crewed lunar exploration during Artemis missions with reliable surface mobility and cargo logistics.

ProtoStage 2 of 5

NASA awarded $219M in May 2026 to build it from Astrolab's FLEX design and land it on the Moon by 2028.

Updated 26 May 2026Checked 11 Oct0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · CLV-1 development and testing

NASA CLV-1 contract award26 May 2026Complete.
CLV-1 development and testingTarget 2026Current milestone.
Artemis mission rover deploymentTarget 2028Not yet reached.

Most important updates

NASA awards Astrolab $220 million to develop Crewed Lunar Vehicle for Artemis astronauts26 May 2026

Upcoming

2026CLV-1 development and testing (next)
2028Artemis mission rover deployment

Current obstacles

Engineering for two mission profilesCreating a platform that works for heavy crewed missions and lighter commercial operations requires careful design.

Physics limits

Battery mass limits rangeEvery extra kilometre needs more battery, and every kilogram of battery must be landed on the Moon, so range trades directly against payload.
The two-week lunar nightNight at the Moon lasts about 14 Earth days with no sunlight and extreme cold, so surviving it takes stored power and heaters that add mass.

How it works

3 parts

Open rover

Crew ride in spacesuits

Like NASA's other lunar terrain vehicles it is unpressurized. It can carry astronauts or be driven by remote control from Earth.

Deformable Wheels

Extreme terrain traversal

Hyper-deformable wheels from Venturi navigate rough terrain and extreme South Pole temperatures below -150°C.

High-Performance Power

Extended operational range

Advanced batteries manufactured in Monaco enable multi-day surface operations critical for crewed missions far from landing sites.

Spec sheet

Spec	Crewed Lunar Vehicle-1 (CLV-1)
NASA development contract	$219M^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

Update log

1 update

Tue 26 May

Major: NASA awards Astrolab $220 million to develop Crewed Lunar Vehicle for Artemis astronautsPressCommercial

About Venturi Astrolab

The team behind Crewed Lunar Vehicle-1 (CLV-1)

Venturi Astrolab

FLEX Lunar Terrain Vehicle, Moon rover, Starship

Designs and builds advanced lunar rovers for government and commercial missions. FLEX Lunar Terrain Vehicle won a major NASA contract in May 2026, with a commercial variant planned for Starship.

Venturi Astrolab won one of two NASA awards in May 2026 to develop the FLEX Lunar Terrain Vehicle.
The $220 million development contract supports crewed lunar exploration during Artemis IV and later missions.
Venturi is also developing a scaled commercial variant of FLEX to operate on Starship lunar landers.

venturiastrolab.com (opens venturiastrolab.com)Company profile →

Founded: 20206 yrs
Headquarters: United States
Status: Private
Valuation: private
Raised: $220M1 round
Last round: NASA Large Logistics Lander Program · $220MMay 2026
Works in: SpaceflightMoon & deep space
Coverage: 1 program · 1 updatelatest 26 May 2026checked 11 Oct
Lead investors: NASA
Customers: NASA (opens nasa.gov)
Partners: SpaceX (opens spacex.com)Venturi Group (opens venturi.com)
People: Jaret Matthews (opens venturiastrolab.com)Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Spec

Crewed Lunar Vehicle-1 (CLV-1)

NASA development contract

$219M^R (reported)