Companies selected to study lunar sites as part of the Artemis program

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In order to land on the Astronaut's Moon by 2024 as part of the Artemis program, NASA must make a good start in the development of crewed lunar landing gear.

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In order to land on the Astronaut's Moon by 2024 as part of the Artemis program, NASA must make a good start in the development of crewed lunar landing gear.

According to an announcement from the space agency, this would start with the initial studies carried out under the Agency's contracts, entitled NextSTEP (Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships).

"To accelerate our return to the moon, we are challenging our traditional ways of working," said Marshall Smith, director of human lunar exploration programs at NASA headquarters, in a press release. "We're going to streamline everything from purchasing to partnerships to hardware development and even operations. Our team is excited to return to the Moon as soon as possible and our public / private partnerships to study human landing systems are an important step in this process. "

A total of $ 45.5 million is allocated to 11 companies, each of which will contribute at least 20% of the total expected cost, NASA said. Companies should spend the next six months studying and developing prototypes.

At present, NASA is considering a human landing system in three stages: a transfer stage intended to move the system from a highly elliptical orbit (where a lunar gateway would be positioned) around from the Moon to a low lunar orbit. The other two stages include a descent step to land on the Moon and an ascent step to return to the Gate.

At least two of these parts, the transfer vehicle and the lift vehicle, should be refueled and reused. As such, other items in the study include the concepts of refueling.

According to the agency, the partnership aims to reduce costs for US taxpayers and encourage "anticipated private investments in the lunar economy."

NASA provided the following list of laureates:

• Aerojet Rocketdyne – Canoga Park, California
  • Study of a transfer vehicle
• Blue Origin – Kent, Washington
  • Study of a descent element, a study of transfer vehicle and a prototype of transfer vehicle
• Boeing – Houston
  • A descent element study, two descent element prototypes, a transfer vehicle study, a transfer vehicle prototype, a refueling element study and a prototype of a vehicle. supply element
• Dynetics – Huntsville, Alabama
  • A descent element study and five descent element prototypes
• Lockheed Martin – Littleton, Colorado
  • A study of the descent elements, four prototypes of the descent elements, a study of the transfer vehicles and a study of the elements of refueling
• Masten Space Systems – Mojave, California
  • A prototype of descent element
• Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems – Dulles, Virginia
  • A descent element study, four descent element prototypes, a refueling element study and a prototype refueling element
• OrbitBeyond – Edison, New Jersey
  • Two prototypes of refueling elements
• Sierra Nevada Corporation, Louisville, Colorado, and Madison, Wisconsin
  • Study of a descent element, prototype of a descent element, study of a transfer vehicle, prototype of a transfer vehicle and study of a refueling element
• SpaceX – Hawthorne, California
  • A study of descent element
• SSL – Palo Alto, California
  • Study of a refueling element and a prototype refueling element

In an effort to revive development as quickly as possible, NASA stated that it "invoked undefined contractual measures", which would allow the agency to authorize its partners to start work while pursuing the negotiations. view of the award of the contract.

"We are taking important steps to start development as quickly as possible, including invoking a NextSTEP option that allows our partners to start working while we are still negotiating," said Greg Chavers, System Formulation Manager. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Human Landing. in Huntsville, Alabama, in a NASA press release. "We are eager to gather the first feedback from the industry on the requirements of our human landing system. The undefined contractual action will help us to do it. "

The mission plan

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The program Artemis (the goddess of the Moon and the sister of the god Apollo in Greek mythology), newly appointed by NASA, needs at least $ 1.6 billion of additional funds compared to 21 billion of dollars requested by the President for the fiscal year 2020. Additional increases would also be needed in 2021 and 2022. The exact number is not yet known.

Most of the increase in fiscal year 2020 should be allocated to the development of crewed lunar landing gear, likely as a result of this NextSTEP contract.

The current plan provides for the establishment of at least one lunar landing system classified by the crew at the reduced lunar bridge located in lunar orbit by 2024.

If a two-module bridge is included, at least five commercial launches would be required to allow astronauts to return to the Moon in 2024.

Meanwhile, NASA and contractors Boeing and Lockheed Martin are working to complete the development of their Space Launch System rocket and their Orion spacecraft, respectively.

To date, the first launch of the system, Artemis 1 (formerly Exploration Mission 1), is expected to be launched no earlier than the end of 2020 or early 2021. It would be an unprepared mission around the moon.

Artemis 2 should then send a crew of four on a free return path around the Moon in 2022.

Finally, Artemis 3 should embark a team of four to dock the Lunar Bridge, be transferred to a lunar lander and get to the surface of the Moon.

At the end of this mission, the crew should use the landing gear part of the vehicle to return to the bridge before boarding Orion for the return trip.

From there, NASA plans to continue lunar landings, making the Artemis program sustainable by 2028.

According to NASA, this is all in line with President Trump's directive on space policy, which asks the agency to send astronauts back to the lunar surface with commercial and international partners and to use the Moon's resources for space. make it sustainable.

Video provided by NASA

Retire political risk

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According to NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, the main obstacle now is the removal of political risk. In order for the agency to go further with the Artemis program, it needs additional funding, which needs to be approved by Congress.

Currently, accelerated program support is mixed, particularly because of the proposed source of funding for the additional $ 1.6 billion requested in the amended budget: the $ 9 billion surplus federal Pell Grant program, which provides tuition assistance for low wages. income students.

Several democratic representatives in the House have already opposed this source.

Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson, a Texas Democrat, said in a May 15 statement that she would reserve judgment on the entire program until a more concrete budget is provided.

Johnson added that she did not think that NASA's exploration program should be funded by the Pell Grant program, because going to the moon "will require more scientists and engineers, not less. "

In addition, on May 16, the House Appropriations Committee released an expenditure bill that would increase NASA's budget by $ 1.3 billion over the original request of the president. However, much of this money would go towards increasing the science budget with the development of the lunar gateway and the research on lunar landers reduced by $ 618 million, essentially ignoring the president's request.

There is still a long process before NASA gets a final budget for the year 2020, including a move to the House of Representatives and the Senate before the president's signature.

Video provided by NASA

Tagged: Artemis 1 Program Artemis Exploration of Blue Origin Mission 1 Case Study for fiscal year 2020 Lunar Lander Lunar Moon from here 2024 NASA SpaceX Space Launch System