If NASA successfully executes its ambitious plans, an entire fleet of lunar landers and rovers will soon touch down on the moon’s surface in the coming years.
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NASA has recently signed yet another contract with a private space company for upcoming moon missions. This lunar lander will deploy scientific equipment on the moon’s surface by late 2028.
This announcement marks the latest in a series of contracts as NASA accelerates its lunar flight program, aiming to establish a moon base. The primary focus of various missions planned over the next two years includes testing technologies and exploring sites vital to NASA’s moon construction initiatives. Last month, the agency disclosed nearly $1 billion in funding for its initial unmanned missions targeting moon base development. Overall, NASA plans to invest $20 billion in this project over the next seven years.
Recent updates emphasize NASA’s commitment to a permanent moon presence, with a strict timeline and reliance on commercial partnerships.
NASA
Rory Glaze, associate administrator for NASA’s Human Spaceflight Mission Directorate, stated, “Our recent awards to commercial partners total nearly $600 million, facilitating more lunar surface missions with scientific payloads. This accelerates our efforts to establish a long-term lunar presence while enhancing our capacity for success.”
Isaacman also mentioned discussions around repurposing a test version of NASA’s Mars rover for lunar missions.
“If you’re familiar with the Mars rovers Curiosity and Perseverance, there’s a third unit,” he said, indicating that the test rover, named Promise, is being considered for a lunar mission.
The three companies awarded lunar module contracts include Astrobotic from Pennsylvania, working with NASA to develop a lander for transporting over 1,000 pounds of cargo and a lunar rover, potentially launching later this year, alongside Texas-based Firefly Aerospace and Intuitive Machines.
NASA reported the winning bids were $144.2 million for Firefly and $148.3 million for Intuitive Machines.
Astrobotic has secured a new contract valued at $297.9 million to build two additional landers for the 2028 mission, bringing NASA’s total investment in lunar hardware research to over $600 million in six years.
Firefly previously received $75 million from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory for building four drones to investigate the moon’s south pole.
No new landers are being designed from scratch; NASA is upgrading an existing spacecraft that has successfully launched previously.
NASA
Regarding the Promise rover at California’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Isaacman indicated that discussions are underway for a probe to explore the moon’s south pole and its resources.
“We’ve made modifications and added new instruments to enhance its capabilities for lunar exploration,” Isaacman stated, emphasizing its quick adaptability for future projects.
He also updated the role of Blue Origin, selected by NASA alongside Astrobotic for an unmanned mission this year. However, a recent explosion during an engine test has raised concerns about potential delays.
Isaacman speculated that the Moon mission could now be postponed until the next year due to these setbacks.
Astrobotic’s lander is on track to launch as early as this year, according to Carlos García-Galan, NASA’s lunar base program manager.
Isaacman confirmed that NASA aims to provide monthly updates on lunar missions and will soon solicit proposals for scientific and technological payloads to be sent to the moon in the coming years, with a focus on experiments related to the Moon’s energy infrastructure and communications systems.
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Source: www.nbcnews.com