NASA Books Blue Origin to Fly New PROMISE Rover to Lunar South Pole

NASA has outlined a major update for its ongoing lunar exploration efforts, detailing a shift toward an interconnected network of infrastructure rather than isolated missions. Agency officials announced plans to fly a new nuclear-powered rover named PROMISE to the lunar south pole. The mission is currently scheduled to launch in late 2028 on a Blue Origin lander, with an expected prime mission duration of 18 months in the polar region.

The PROMISE rover is built upon existing engineering foundations from past Mars missions. Its design incorporates components and test-bed hardware originally developed for vehicles like Curiosity and Perseverance. To operate in permanently shadowed regions without sunlight, the rover will rely on a nuclear power source using a flight-spare multi-mission radioisotope thermoelectric generator. The payload will include science instruments designed to sample the lunar surface and analyze local volatiles.

Alongside the rover announcement, NASA introduced miniCAST, a project aimed at combining power generation, storage, wireless charging, and communications for lunar assets. The agency selected several commercial contractors to supply components for this utility network. Officials also announced new launch and orbital transportation task orders and expanded commercial delivery options as part of the broader strategy to establish a sustained human and robotic presence on the Moon.