Lunar Outpost says its next Moon rover will use Nvidia Jetson chips

In short: Lunar Outpost says its next Moon rover will use Nvidia Jetson computer chips to help run its sensors on the lunar surface.

What happened

Lunar Outpost, a startup that builds robots for space missions, announced that an upcoming Moon rover will use Nvidia’s Jetson chips to control its LiDAR system. LiDAR is a sensor that “sees” distance by bouncing light off surfaces, a bit like radar but with lasers.

Jetson chips include GPUs, which are special computer parts often used to process lots of data quickly. They are common in AI work, but Lunar Outpost is focusing on using them inside a rover, so the rover can handle sensor data on its own instead of sending everything back to Earth first (like doing math on a calculator in your pocket instead of calling someone to do it for you).

The rover is expected to fly on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket before the end of the year, according to the report. It will ride to the Moon on a lander built by Intuitive Machines. Lunar Outpost also said a later mission will explore Reiner Gamma, an unusual area that has puzzled scientists.

Nvidia has also announced a separate partnership with Firefly Aerospace. That effort aims to run Jetson on a satellite orbiting the Moon to process images and help map the surface.

Why it matters

Space is hard on electronics. The Moon has big temperature swings and more exposure to radiation than Earth. If these chips work reliably there, future robots could make quicker decisions on the spot, which could help NASA and private companies explore and prepare for astronauts to return.

Source: TechCrunch AI