America at 250, the Tech Center at 70, and GM in space

May 29, 2026Newsletter Archives

Following a blockbuster weekend of racing with the Indy 500, NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600, and the F1 Canadian Grand Prix — a triple-header that showcased the incomparable breadth of GM’s dedication to motorsports — we celebrated in the best possible way: by sending America’s Hypercar to America’s Speedway, where a Corvette ZR1X blew out 250 candles to mark the weekend and America’s marquee 250th anniversary. 

With that glut of racing fading in the rearview, we turned our sights to the sky. That’s right, GM is going to space. Again. Our technology will help power the Lunar Outpost’s “Pegasus” Lunar Terrain Vehicle. Pegasus gives our astronauts safe, reliable, and highly capable mobility to explore the moon.  

The project echoes of 1971, when GM helped build and deploy the original Lunar Rover (LRV) after nearly a decade of mobility studies. That same year, a series of iconic, custom “AstroVettes” were leased for $1 per year to Apollo 15 astronauts Dave Scott, Al Worden, and Jim Irwin. 

The connection between our space program and General Motors has endured, and at its core, showcases GM’s forward-looking commitment to progress. Perhaps nowhere illustrates that better than the GM Global Technical Center, which just celebrated its 70th anniversary, marked by this heartfelt letter from GM President Mark Reuss.  

Building upon the Global Tech Center’s legacy of imagination and progress, GM officially opened the new Advanced Design Pasadena Studio, revealing the GMC HUMMER X truck and SUV concepts. The new campus marks the latest chapter in nearly 40 years of GM Design in Southern California. 

Whether it’s a 70th birthday or our nation’s 250th, these anniversaries remind us to keep looking forward. Progress is always just around the corner. 

Keep your eyes up,

–Kyle Kinard, Managing Editor, GM News