{"id":511198,"date":"2026-08-18T01:09:05","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T15:09:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?p=1037630"},"modified":"2026-08-18T01:09:05","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T15:09:05","slug":"nasa-challenge-tests-wheel-designs-for-moon-base-mobility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=511198","title":{"rendered":"NASA Challenge Tests Wheel Designs for Moon Base Mobility"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNASA Challenge Tests Wheel Designs for Moon Base Mobility\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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NASA engineers, NASA Robotics Academy students, and teams from the Rock and Roll with NASA Challenge pose with the wheel prototypes at NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center Rock Yard in Houston on July 31, 2026.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tCredits: <\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tNASA\/Luna Posadas Nava<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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NASA engineers, NASA Robotics Academy students, and teams from the Rock and Roll with NASA Challenge pose with the wheel prototypes at NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center Rock Yard in Houston on July 31, 2026.<\/div>\n
NASA\/Luna Posadas Nava<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

As NASA prepares to establish the Moon Base<\/a>, advancing surface mobility will be key to helping crews and robotic systems travel farther across the lunar surface. <\/p>\n

To help advance that capability, the Rock and Roll with NASA Challenge invited public innovators to design and build next-generation lunar rover wheels. <\/p>\n

Five teams from 128 submissions and 49 countries advanced to the final phase of the competition, where they tested their prototypes on July 31 at NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center in Houston. <\/p>\n

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The Huff Helo lunar wheel prototype is tested at Johnson Space Center\u2019s Rock Yard.<\/div>\n
NASA\/Luna Posadas Nava<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The challenge sought lightweight, durable, and scalable wheels that could support longer-duration lunar surface operations. The designs also needed to be compliant enough to absorb impacts, maintain traction at higher speeds, and withstand the harsh lunar environment. <\/p>\n

\u201cEvery additional kilometer a rover can reliably travel will expand how far we can explore, what science we can achieve, and what infrastructure we can build,\u201d said Ed Herrera, robotics engineer at Johnson and co-leader of the challenge project. <\/p>\n

NASA Johnson uses ground prototypes to test mobility technologies, while lunar terrain vehicles will be delivered to the lunar surface through the Commercial Lunar Payload Services<\/a> initiative. For the challenge, the wheels were fitted to MicroChariot, a 45-kilogram test rover, and put through a series of courses at Johnson\u2019s Rock Yard to evaluate their performance across different types of terrain. <\/p>\n

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NASA Robotics Academy students navigate the lunar wheel prototype Scotch Pad Tyres fitted on the MicroChariot rover at Johnson\u2019s Rock Yard.<\/div>\n
NASA\/Luna Posadas Nava<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cCrowdsourcing gives us an opportunity to look beyond traditional approaches for lunar wheel design,\u201d Herrera said. \u201cThe more wheel technologies we can develop and understand, the more options we have to meet the needs of different vehicles, terrains, and missions on the Moon and Mars.\u201d <\/p>\n

Those ideas were reflected in five distinctly different designs. <\/p>\n

The HTR Variable Flex Lunar Wheel created by Hellenic Technology of Robotics SA uses an internal system designed to vary the wheel\u2019s stiffness depending on terrain and vehicle needs. The team adapted technology it had been developing for terrestrial wheels for about a decade. <\/p>\n

The Hiper Wheel created by Hyperbola uses tensioned cables and a corigated structure that provides spring-like behavior, allowing the wheel to flex without relying on traditional radial spokes. <\/p>\n

The Huff Helo Flexible Titanium Wheel created by Huff Helo Inc. uses formed titanium sheet metal as both structure and spring. During testing, the team found that the strength of the design also made the wheel more rigid, causing it to bounce over some obstacles rather than conform to the terrain. <\/p>\n

The Payne Aviation Wheel created by Deborah and Craige Payne took inspiration from aviation and history. Its designer, an aircraft mechanic, combined a pneumatic approach with ideas from early automobile tire designs. <\/p>\n

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The winning Scotch Pad Tyres team poses with their prototype and MicroChariot at Johnson\u2019s Rock Yard. <\/div>\n
NASA\/Luna Posadas Nava<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The winning Scotch Pad Tyres concept came from an Australian mechanical engineer Daniel Bloomfield and his son Isaac Bloomfield. Their prototype uses a Nomex-based tire structure supported around an aluminum hub. The soft material allows the tire to deform around terrain, while internal support helps it maintain its shape. A treated outer surface of epoxy and corundum grit was integrated to improve traction. <\/p>\n

The Rock Yard testing also demonstrated why different terrains may require different approaches. Loose material can affect traction, while rocks and slopes place different demands on wheels such as vehicle stability. <\/p>\n

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The HTR Variable Flex Lunar Wheel prototype sits alongside NASA\u2019s Space Exploration Vehicle at Johnson\u2019s Rock Yard. <\/div>\n
NASA\/Luna Posadas Nava<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

As lunar exploration expands, different vehicles will require different combinations of speed, load capacity, durability, and terrain performance. <\/p>\n

Seeking that variety was part of the challenge design. The design options gave engineers different technologies to consider and potentially advance. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis challenge brought in new ideas from outside traditional industries and helped us identify wheel technologies that may be suitable for longer-duration surface operations,\u201d said Lucien Junkin, robotics engineer at Johnson and co-leader of the challenge project. <\/p>\n

The next phase could evaluate how the wheels respond to lunar-like dust, vacuum, and extreme temperatures in Johnson\u2019s thermal vacuum chambers. Engineers could also assess the designs over longer distances and at different sizes and loads. <\/p>\n

\u201cMobility is key to everything we want to do on the Moon,\u201d Junkin said. \u201cThe farther we want to explore, the more we need to advance the wheel technologies that can get us there.\u201d <\/p>\n

The Common Robotics Project of the Robotic Systems Technology Branch within Johnson\u2019s Engineering Directorate conducted the Rock and Roll with NASA Challenge. NASA\u2019s Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation, part of the Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing Program within the Research and Technology Mission Directorate, managed the challenge contract. Students in NASA\u2019s Robotics Academy helped prepare hardware and support the competition, while engineers from NASA\u2019s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland supported reviews of concepts and proposals. HeroX administered the challenge on behalf of NASA.  <\/p>\n

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