NASA Awards Moon Base Transportation, Technology, Science Projects
Credit: NASA NASA announced a suite of awards and mission updates on Saturday to expand the agency’s Moon Base exploration, science, and infrastructure capabilities.
Key points
- Carrying science instruments and technology demonstrations, the six-wheeled rover will land at the Moon’s South Pole to characterize the surface and subsurface, assess resource potential, and provide data to enable landing site selection, as well as future infrastructure and exploration activities.
- Most importantly, we’ve taken action, awarding new contracts and forging new partnerships to accelerate development.” Moon Base cargo landers To strengthen the cargo lander network needed to support the Moon Base, NASA selected eight companies for the next phase of its CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative.
- NASA increased the value of the current CLPS 1.0 contract from $2.6 billion to $4.2 billion to support initial Phase One Moon Base objectives.
Lockheed Martin Space Northrop Grumman Space Systems SpaceX Voyager Technologies Under the CLPS 2 framework, the companies will provide lunar delivery services, including managing, building, and operating landers that transport NASA science, technology, and infrastructure payloads to the Moon.
Additional details
- “We are building the Moon Base mission by mission,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.
- NASA has assessed the compatibility of the hardware with the lunar environment and determined it can tolerate the harsh conditions found near the Moon’s South Pole.
- Nuclear-powered Moon rover NASA also announced it is moving forward with development of PROMISE (Polar Rover for Observation, Mapping, and In-Situ Exploration).
- The investments will advance commercial robotic deliveries, a nuclear-powered rover named PROMISE, launch and orbital transfer services, and surface infrastructure as the agency works with American industry to establish a sustained presence on the Moon’s South Pole.
- “Today’s announcements expand nearly every part of that campaign, using the playbook that carried NASA through its greatest eras: fly often, learn, apply those lessons, and get more better and more capable with every mission.
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