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An artistic conception of what an orbital lunar station might look like. (Credit: NASA)
Looks like the moon is back in style. Decades after NASA's last trip to our satellite, Blue Origin and Lockheed Martin have recently announced plans for lunar landers, and NASA hopes to build an orbital-lunar platform gateway that would be placed in orbit around the moon .
The moon is a logical stepping stone for longer missions on Mars and beyond, and is a crucial testing ground for advanced technologies. As a result, it is a privileged target for the actors of the new space race.
The lunar outpost proposed by NASA would remain in a high lunar orbit and allow for scientific and commercial activity. Officials said the outpost could be built and ready to host astronauts by the mid-2020s, although the rocket and capsule that NASA plans to use for construction and visit of the station are still under development.
This lunar outpost will accommodate a maximum of four astronauts at a time for 30 to 90 days. But, if the outpost will allow astronauts to work and experiment around the moon, it could be accompanied by new technologies designed by Blue Origin and Lockheed Martin to actually land on the lunar surface.
The visualization of this artist shows the Blue Origin LG Blue Origin on the surface of the moon. (Credit: Blue Origin Illustration)
Blue Origin, which plans to send shipments to the Moon "Amazonian" soon, announced this week the design of a "great lunar lander", Blue Moon. The lighter will be "capable of carrying several tons of cargo on the moon," said Tuesday the German technology group OHB, in partnership with Blue Origin, in a statement.
Blue Moon's reusable design is part of the company's multi-stage plan to advance its space exploration efforts.
"The next logical step on this path is the return to the moon. To do this, we need reusable access to the lunar surface and its resources. We are in the design phase of a large lunar lander that will provide this access called Blue Moon, "said Blue Origin in its release.
The massive design of the Lockheed Martin Lunar Lander can accommodate a maximum of four astronauts. (Lockheed Martin)
Lockheed Martin is also continuing its efforts with new technologies to bring us to the lunar surface. Their LG is oversized and designed to accommodate up to four astronauts with a ton of equipment. It is intended to shuttle astronauts between NASA's lunar outpost and the surface of the moon. Unveiled at the World Astronautical Congress in Bremen, Germany, this mega-lander can stay on the surface of the moon for up to two weeks without refueling before returning to the bridge of the lunar orbital platform. The company is also collaborating with NASA to develop modules for the agency's moon gateway station.
These innovative designs can give the impression that we are about to return to the moon. However, we must overcome serious obstacles before we can reach our rocky satellite. First and foremost, we must do it.
NASA's lunar outpost, Blue Origins and the Lockheed Martin landing gear, are planning to launch with NASA's huge Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. It will be the most powerful rocket ever built by NASA, but its development has suffered several setbacks and its first flight continues to be delayed. In addition, NASA is not looking for landing gear as big as the one proposed by Lockheed Martin.
We do not know exactly how we are going back to the moon. But with the serious support of the US government and the ambitious projects of space agencies and industry partners, this can only happen.
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