We're making FLEX to be the most versatile rover ever created
In the California desert, a small startup called Astrolab has unveiled a rover prototype named FLEX, designed to carry both cargo and astronauts across the lunar south pole as part of NASA's Artemis program. Where past space exploration demanded mission-specific machines built to exacting constraints, Astrolab proposes something more enduring: a modular, reconfigurable platform built for an era when commercial rockets may make the moon a place of sustained human presence. The unveiling marks not merely a new vehicle, but a philosophical shift in how humanity imagines working on another world.
- A fifteen-person startup is challenging aerospace giants Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman for one of NASA's most consequential lunar contracts.
- FLEX can haul 1,500 kilograms, survive a decade of brutal lunar nights, and be driven by astronauts or remotely from Earth — a versatility no previous rover has attempted.
- Former astronaut Chris Hadfield took the controls in the Mojave desert, the first person with spaceflight experience to pilot a lunar rover prototype in decades.
- NASA is expected to issue formal contract proposals within months, compressing the timeline and raising the stakes for every competitor still on paper.
- Astrolab's founder believes FLEX could reach the moon before Artemis 3 in 2025, potentially making it the first rover astronauts have driven since Apollo.
In the California desert near Death Valley, a rover the size of a small bus sat waiting to be driven. In early 2022, former astronaut Chris Hadfield climbed aboard and took the controls — the first person with spaceflight experience to pilot a lunar rover prototype in decades. The machine belonged to Astrolab, a fifteen-person startup founded by Jaret Matthews, a former SpaceX engineer who had earlier worked on Mars rovers at JPL.
On March 10, Astrolab publicly unveiled FLEX — Flexible Logistics and Exploration — as its candidate for NASA's Lunar Terrain Vehicle program, the agency's effort to put a rover on the moon for Artemis astronauts. FLEX could carry up to 1,500 kilograms of cargo, seat two astronauts or be operated remotely from Earth, and was designed to survive ten years of operations at the lunar south pole, including the punishing lunar night.
What distinguished FLEX was not raw capability but philosophy. Mars rovers had been engineered for singular missions, customized to the gram. Matthews saw the coming lunar era differently. With commercial landers like SpaceX's Starship capable of delivering large payloads, the economics of space hardware were shifting. A modular, reconfigurable rover — one that could haul solar panels one mission and scientific instruments the next — made more sense than a purpose-built machine that would be obsolete after one use.
Astrolab was not alone in the competition. Lockheed Martin had partnered with General Motors, and Northrop Grumman had assembled its own team. But Astrolab held one advantage: a working prototype already tested in lunar-analog terrain, with feedback from Hadfield and others shaping its ergonomics and controls. The company had also secured a partnership with Venturi Group for batteries and tires.
NASA's official schedule placed the LTV's lunar arrival no earlier than Artemis 5, the second crewed landing. Matthews believed FLEX could be ready sooner — possibly before Artemis 3 in 2025. With formal contract proposals expected within months, the race to return a rover to the moon had quietly, urgently begun.
In the California desert near Death Valley, a rover the size of a small bus sat waiting to be driven. It had six wheels, a cargo deck, and a name that spoke to its purpose: FLEX, short for Flexible Logistics and Exploration. On a test day in early 2022, former astronaut Chris Hadfield climbed aboard and took the controls—the first time in decades that someone with spaceflight experience had piloted a lunar rover prototype meant for the moon.
The rover belonged to Astrolab, a fifteen-person startup founded two years earlier by Jaret Matthews, who had previously worked at SpaceX. On March 10, the company unveiled FLEX publicly, positioning it as a candidate for NASA's Lunar Terrain Vehicle program—the agency's effort to build a rover for astronauts landing on the moon as part of the Artemis missions. The machine could carry up to 1,500 kilograms of cargo, either stacked above or below its main deck. It could be driven by two people sitting in it, or operated remotely from Earth. It was designed to work for ten years at the lunar south pole, survive the brutal lunar night, and operate continuously for eight hours at a stretch.
What made FLEX different from rovers of the past was not its size or power, but its philosophy. Mars rovers—the machines that had explored the red planet for NASA—were built for specific missions, engineered down to the gram to do one job perfectly. Astrolab's approach was the opposite. Matthews had worked on those Mars programs at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory early in his career. He understood the old logic: when you're launching something into space, every kilogram costs money, so you customize ruthlessly. But the coming era of lunar exploration would be different. SpaceX's Starship and other commercial landers would deliver large payloads to the moon. The economics of scale changed everything. Why build a rover for one mission when you could build a versatile platform that could be reconfigured for many?
"FLEX really represents a rethinking of how you might approach the surface in that context," Matthews said. The modular payload system was the core innovation—the ability to swap out what the rover carried depending on what the mission needed. One day it might haul solar panels to set up a lunar base. Another day it might transport scientific instruments or supplies for astronauts. The prototype had been tested extensively, with Hadfield and others providing feedback on everything from the controls to the overall ergonomics. Hadfield, who had served as chief of robotics in the NASA astronaut office, understood what the company was trying to build. "It was not only a joy to drive FLEX but also see its size, capability and get an intuitive sense of what this rover can do," he said in a statement.
Astrolab was not alone in pursuing the lunar rover contract. Lockheed Martin had announced a partnership with General Motors in May 2021, though their design was still in early stages. Northrop Grumman had revealed in November that it was working with several companies on a rover concept. But Astrolab had something the others did not: a working prototype that had been tested in terrain that resembled the moon. The company had also secured a strategic partnership with Venturi Group, an electric vehicle developer, which would supply batteries and tires for the flight versions.
Matthews was confident that Astrolab could move fast. The company's development philosophy was simple: design, build, break, repeat. Iterate quickly, learn from failures, move forward. NASA's official timeline called for the Lunar Terrain Vehicle to arrive on the moon no earlier than the Artemis 5 mission, the second crewed landing, sometime in the second half of the decade. But Matthews believed FLEX could be ready sooner. He wanted it to be the first rover astronauts would drive since the Apollo era, possibly arriving before the Artemis 3 landing in 2025 or shortly after. "We're moving as fast as we can and I think we'll be ready at the first opportunity," he said. NASA was expected to issue formal proposals for the LTV contract within months. The race was on.
Notable Quotes
FLEX really represents a rethinking of how you might approach the surface in that context. We're making FLEX to be the most versatile rover ever created, and the primary innovation is the fact that we have this modular payload capability.— Jaret Matthews, founder and CEO of Astrolab
It was not only a joy to drive FLEX but also see its size, capability and get an intuitive sense of what this rover can do.— Chris Hadfield, former astronaut
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does a startup with fifteen people think it can beat Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman for a NASA contract?
Because they have a prototype that works, and they're thinking about the problem differently. The big contractors are still designing for a single mission. Astrolab is designing for an era where you have multiple landers and multiple missions, so you need something flexible.
But flexibility usually means compromise. Doesn't a jack-of-all-trades rover end up being a master of none?
Not if you rethink the whole approach. The old Mars rovers were optimized for mass because every kilogram cost millions to launch. But now commercial landers can carry heavy payloads. So instead of making one perfect rover, you make one versatile platform and swap out what it carries.
Chris Hadfield drove it. That's a smart move for credibility, but what did he actually tell them that mattered?
He gave them feedback on the controls, the ergonomics, the feel of it. But more than that, he validated the concept. He's been in space. He knows what astronauts need. When he says it works, people listen.
The timeline is aggressive—possibly on the moon by 2025. Is that realistic?
Matthews thinks so, because they're iterating fast and learning as they go. But NASA's official timeline doesn't call for the rover until Artemis 5, which is later in the decade. So there's a gap between what Astrolab wants and what NASA is planning.
What happens if they don't win the contract?
They've already mentioned terrestrial applications. An electric rover that can carry cargo and operate for long periods has uses on Earth too. But for a startup, winning the NASA contract would be transformative.