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After NASA sank more than four years and 100 million dollars in a lunar rover just to cancel earlier this year, authorities have cracked down on the concerns of the scientific community saying that it would be abandoned for parts to be used in the future.
But this may not be the case anymore.
"A lot of good work has been done on [the rover] and we want to see what it would take to complete them, "said Steven Clarke, assistant deputy administrator of NASA for exploration. But "there can be good business ideas that make the same science [the lunar rover] was going to do. "
The rover, known as the Resource Prospector, was built by NASA to find water on the moon. But the space agency abruptly shut down the project in April after more than four years of work, saying it would rely on commercial companies for future robotic missions on the lunar surface.
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Now, NASA is asking for offers to companies for these missions. The winners, announced in December and under contract for 10 years, will be responsible for launching instruments and scientific experiments on the moon.
In theory, these instruments would be those of Resource Prospector – such as its ice exercise, a system of hydrogen research under the lunar surface and a tool for quantifying the water extracted from the moon. But later this month, NASA is also asking for offers of instruments and scientific experiments to tackle these landers.
Resource Prospector instruments may never leave a NASA facility, let alone the Earth's atmosphere.
"It depends on whether [the instruments] are still viable, and if it's still profitable, "Clarke said.
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NASA will choose these projects in February, how they will be paired with the landing gear for a launch on the surface of the moon. Contractual engagements are expected to begin in 2019, but NASA anticipates a first shipment to the surface by December 31, 2021.
Resource Prospector had to fly in 2022 or 2023.
NASA also plans to develop projects to fly on landers. But in this scenario, the space agency would act as a customer paying a business for services.
"Once we have [the companies] on contract, we can issue them an order and we negotiate a final price, "Clarke said. "We will buy rides to the moon."
This allows NASA to focus its funds and expertise on new human explorations, he added.
"We are seeking to associate ourselves more [with commercial industry] instead of doing all the design internally, "said Clarke. "If the government can buy services rather than create that same capacity within the government … then NASA can devote more resources to the advanced development of systems needed for housing on the moon and human missions on Mars." .
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The increased commercialization of space has been one of the main points of discussion of the administration of President Donald Trump, who advocates a return to the moon as a springboard for a mission on Mars.
For example, Trump has asked the agency to transfer activity on the station to commercial companies, ending federal funding by 2025. This push follows an initiative launched in 2014 – before Trump's Presidency – in which SpaceX and Boeing send crews to the International Space Station, eliminating our reliance on Russia to transport astronauts to and from the lab in orbit.
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The commercial crew program has suffered many setbacks and delays, and many are opposed to Trump's plan for the space station, stating that companies are unlikely to be ready to assume the fiscal responsibilities that come with the station. Just in fiscal 2017, NASA spent $ 1.45 billion on the space station – and that does not count the costs of transporting astronauts and supplies.
With this lunar landing strategy, Clarke said NASA was trying to "revive the commercial industry to provide landing services on the moon."
Alex Stuckey covers NASA and the environment for the Houston Chronicle. You can reach her at [email protected] or Twitter.com/alexdstuckey.
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