NASA Details Wild Plan To Build A Levitating Robot Railway On The Moon

NASA wants to build the first lunar railway system providing payload transport on the Moon. The autonomous railway system could be a vital part of building a sustainable lunar base in the 2030s.

It is no secret that NASA wants to create a lunar base as part of its Moon to Mars plan. The space agency also knows that being able to transport material gathered from the Moon will require a transport system. Enter mission concept Robotic Lunar Surface Operations 2 (RLSO2). RLSO2 proposes developing FLOAT - Flexible Levitation on a Track - to meet transportation needs.

If successfully implemented, FLOAT would be tasked with the transport of regolith mined for ISRU consumables (H20, LOX, LH2) or construction, as well as transporting payloads around the future lunar base, and to/from landing zones or other outposts.

Rather than using traditional trains which run on tracks, FLOAT will ...