NASA is preparing to establish a regular cadence of trips to the Moon under Artemis. To help the agency fine-tune its approach, NASA will award firm fixed-price, milestone-based contracts of up to $45 million for commercial-led work under a broad agency announcement released Thursday.
NASA is seeking new work to mature designs and conduct technology and
engineering risk-reduction tasks for the human landing system (HLS), which will
ferry Artemis astronauts from lunar orbit to the surface and back. Prior to
opening the call for commercial space lunar transportation on a recurring
basis, NASA is asking U.S. companies to hone HLS concepts and safety measures.
Companies awarded work under this research and development procurement,
known as NextSTEP-2 Appendix N, will help NASA polish
requirements for the future recurring services solicitation, which will secure
regular crewed trips from Gateway in lunar orbit to
the lunar surface and back.
“We are priming U.S. industry to become reliable service providers in the
lunar marketplace,” said Greg Chavers, assistant deputy for Systems Engineering
and Integration for human spaceflight at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
“Riding on American ingenuity, Artemis astronauts will explore new areas of the
Moon, where we will unlock mysteries of the solar system for the benefit of
all.”
NASA’s goal is to enable the safest and lowest cost long-term approach to
accessing the lunar surface, and to be just one of multiple customers
purchasing services in the lunar transportation market.
“The approach for recurring Moon landing services is truly a collective
effort between NASA and U.S. Industry,” said Lisa Watson-Morgan, human landing
system program manager at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville,
Alabama. “This announcement is a chance for the pioneering private sector to
claim their stake in the emerging lunar economy and make history with NASA.”
Early engagement allows companies to continue the development of their
sustainable HLS concepts, provides an opportunity for new companies to enter
the competitive lunar marketplace, and gives them access to NASA experts. This
is an opportunity distinct from the initial crewed lunar landing demonstration
mission, which will serve as proof of concept for the Artemis lunar landing
architecture.
“Landing humans on the Moon – and achieving a resilient presence there – is
no small feat. Lunar landers are a major piece needed to set Artemis in motion
toward that goal,” said Kathy Lueders, NASA’s associate administrator for Human
Exploration and Operations. “We are another step closer to proving, once again,
that NASA is a global leader in space exploration. Our presence at the Moon
will inspire the next generation of diverse scientists, engineers, and
explorers to take even greater leaps.”
In addition to soliciting design studies and risk-reduction activities, the
Appendix N Broad Agency Announcement seeks industry feedback on sustaining HLS
requirements, as well as safety and mission assurance, design and construction,
and health and medical standards. NASA expects to award HLS Appendix N
contracts before the end of the calendar year, and then to seek proposals for
repeatable HLS services in 2022.
Artemis missions will include sending a suite of new science instruments
and technology demonstrations to study the Moon, landing the first woman and
first person of color on the lunar surface, and establishing a long-term
presence. The agency will leverage its Artemis experience and technologies to
prepare for humanity’s next giant leap – sending astronauts on a two-year round
trip to Mars and back.
Learn more about Artemis at: https://www.nasa.gov/artemis
Source: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-offers-45m-to-solve-risks-for-astronaut-moon-landing-services
No comments:
Post a Comment