Away Teams: DesertRATS Pressurized Rover During Night Ops

The Desert Research and Technology Studies (DesertRATS) is one of NASA’s analog missions to test hardware and operational scenarios in a remote environment with geographic similarities to the Moon and Mars.

In October 2022, NASA evaluated rover design and operations, communications with the Mission Control Center and a Science Evaluation Room at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

A key element of the DesertRATS analog is the pressurized rover, a capability that is planned for astronaut surface exploration at the Moon and Mars. NASA has a study agreement with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) for development of the Artemis pressurized rover, and JAXA representatives joined NASA at DesertRATS.

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