The PROMISE lunar rover was modified with spare parts from the Mars rover and was powered by a radioisotope thermal motor. It had to drill into the lunar soil on moonlit nights and in craters that receive no sunlight all year round to confirm whether there is water ice there. (Previous summary: NASA has released a three-phase blueprint for the lunar base: construction of permanent human habitation facilities will begin in 2030) (Background supplement: China announced its first manned lunar landing plan: the spacecraft and lander each sit on a rocket, and the lunar orbit will converge) The United States Space Administration NASA will send a nuclear-powered lunar rover into space by the end of 2028 to search for ice at the south pole of the moon. This PROMISE lunar rover is about the size of a recreational vehicle and has six wheels. It was operated by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and was modified using the test stand-in machine left on the earth by Curiosity, plus spare parts from Curiosity and Perseverance. It was then sent to the south pole of the moon by Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 1 lunar lander. NASA confirmed to advance this plan at a lunar base press conference on November 7. The same press conference also announced a lunar cargo contract with an upper limit of US$10 billion, but the order has not yet been sent. Why use nuclear power? Doesn’t solar power work? The lunar night at the south pole of the moon is very long, and some craters do not receive sunlight all year round (permanent shadow areas). Solar panels cannot hold up there, and these craters are thought to potentially contain water ice. Nuclear power allows the lunar rover to continue working on moonlit nights and in areas of permanent shadow. The power source on the car is a functional radioisotope thermal generator (MMRTG), which relies on the decay of radioactive materials to generate heat and then converts it into electricity. It is not a nuclear reactor. NASA describes it as basically a nuclear power generator that will be loaded onto a vehicle at a dedicated facility at the launch site. What to do to find ice at the South Pole of the Moon? What's the use of finding ice? The rover's drill can extract lunar soil from about 1 meter below the surface and analyze ice and other resources. The spectrometer is responsible for analyzing the composition of the earth's surface, as well as temperature and radiation sensors, and visible light cameras. It will also test NASA’s next-generation radiation-hardened space computer, as well as sensors and algorithmic logic for autonomous driving. Ice is essential for humans to stay on the moon for a long time, and water ice can also be converted into rocket fuel or drinking water. The data from the lunar rover will be used to select landing sites and plan lunar base facilities. Its main mission is 18 months, and it belongs to the first phase of the lunar base. This phase, until 2029, is mainly focused on robotic exploration and infrastructure testing. Will it be postponed? The Blue Moon Mark 1 that will deliver it has yet to fly over the moon, with the first lunar mission scheduled for the first quarter of 2027. Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket exploded at the launch site in May 2026, severely damaging the launch facility. NASA expects to resume flight in the fourth quarter of this year. The track record for commercial lunar landers is also spotty, with Intuitive Machines landing twice near the moon's south pole, tipping over both times. The lunar rover uses proven hardware. The real variable is whether the lunar lander can land safely. Related reports Is the dream of lunar colony broken? Research reveals that limited water resources make it difficult to support large-scale human settlements. After half a century, humans are flying to the moon again! NASA's "Artemis 2" manned orbit around the moon was launched on 4/2, and you can watch the launch live for free. Musk announced a major strategic shift for SpaceX! Give up on landing on Mars first, and build a "self-growing city" on the moon within 10 years. Musk's new pie "Moon Base Alpha": Build an AI super factory on the moon and shoot it into the solar system with a giant catapult. The remains of the SpaceX rocket "hit the moon" at a speed of 8,700 kilometers per hour, leaving an 18-meter impact crater. Space debris is currently unmanageable〈NASA Nuclear Powered Lunar Rover 2028 Launched at the end of the year, looking for ice in the deep pits of the Moon's South Pole> This article was first published in BlockTempo's "Dongqu Trend - the most influential blockchain news media".