Goodyear to Supply Lunar Tyres for Artemis Moon Vehicle

Goodyear is returning to lunar mobility with tyres developed for Lunar Outpost’s Pegasus Lunar Terrain Vehicle, part of NASA’s Artemis programme. The vehicle is expected to support astronaut missions on the Moon from 2028, operating around the lunar South Pole where terrain, temperature and low gravity create severe mobility demands.

Extreme mobility moves beyond Earth

The project gives Goodyear a role in one of the most demanding tyre applications currently under development. Pegasus is being designed to carry astronauts across the lunar surface, allowing longer travel distances and wider scientific access than would be possible on foot.

NASA has awarded Lunar Outpost a US$220 million task order to build and deliver the first phase of lunar terrain vehicles, with deployment targeted by 2028 through the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative.  The vehicle forms part of NASA’s wider Artemis plan to build sustained surface mobility around the lunar South Pole.

Goodyear says its lunar tyres are being engineered for extreme temperature swings, abrasive rocky surfaces and low-gravity operation. These are not conventional pneumatic products. Lunar tyre design has to manage traction, load, fatigue and durability without the normal assumptions used for road or off-highway tyres on Earth.

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Why this matters for the tyre industry

For the tyre trade, the story is less about space exploration and more about advanced mobility research. Lunar tyres force manufacturers to solve problems linked to materials, structure, contact patch behaviour and durability in an environment where maintenance options are limited.

That knowledge can influence future tyre development in mining, construction, defence, autonomous vehicles and specialist off-highway applications. It also shows how tyre manufacturers are positioning themselves as mobility technology businesses, not only volume producers of consumer and commercial products.

The development follows a wider period of portfolio change for Goodyear. Tyre News has recently covered Goodyear’s regional brand restructuring, including Cooper Tires becoming Goodyear’s sole tier-two brand in EMEA.  Tyre News has also reported on Goodyear’s sustainability-linked materials work, including its use of rice husk ash silica in greener tyre production.

A partnership spanning automotive and aerospace

Pegasus is being developed by Lunar Outpost with support from General Motors, Goodyear and Leidos. General Motors has said its technology will help power the Pegasus vehicle for NASA’s Artemis missions, linking electric propulsion, autonomy and vehicle systems expertise with lunar surface mobility.

Chris Helsel, Goodyear senior vice-president and chief technical officer, said Goodyear innovations had supported demanding journeys for more than 125 years, from land speed records to the Moon and race circuits. He added that Goodyear tyres first left marks on the lunar surface during the Apollo era.

The company says its latest lunar tyre work builds on that heritage while applying modern materials science and simulation. In practice, Pegasus gives Goodyear a high-profile test case for tyre technology operating outside the conventional limits of road, track and off-highway use.

The technical challenge is significant. The lunar South Pole presents sharp terrain, dust, radiation exposure and severe temperature variation. Any tyre system must support safe movement while limiting the risk of immobilisation far from a lander or base location.

Commercial relevance remains indirect

There is no immediate replacement-market opportunity from lunar tyres. However, the project carries reputational and technical value for Goodyear as global tyre makers compete on innovation, sustainability, electric mobility and specialist applications.

For fleet, off-highway and industrial tyre professionals, the interest lies in how extreme-condition testing can inform future products. The Moon remains a distant operating environment, but the engineering questions are familiar: grip, endurance, load support and reliability under pressure.

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Tagged with: Goodyear lunar tyres, NASA Artemis, Lunar Outpost Pegasus, lunar terrain vehicle, off-highway tyres, extreme mobility, tyre innovation, space mobility, tyre technology, Artemis programme

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