NASA commands the first piece of its lunar outpost

While Maxar is in charge of the project, Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and Draper will help the company design and build the spacecraft for demonstration purposes. You see, the company will have to prove that the component works by performing a space flight demo and that it targets a launch date of 2022. The demo period could last up to a year, but once the segment will work, it will officially become the first element of Gateway.

In his announcement, Maxar stated that the element would be based on its 1300 series spacecraft platform. In addition, a key element of the design of this segment is the ROSA (Roll Out) system. NASA's Solar Array), which launches at launch instead of retreating. At a teleconference, the company announced that it would choose a commercial rocket to launch the energy and propulsion segment in the next 12 to 18 months. As Ars He noted that Blue Origin's New Glenn could be a favorite considering his involvement in the project, although Maxar did not say that frankly.