WASHINGTON, April 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA is getting
ready to send astronauts to explore more of the Moon as part of the
Artemis program, and the agency has selected SpaceX to continue
development of the first commercial human lander that will safely
carry the next two American astronauts to the lunar surface. At
least one of those astronauts will make history as the first woman
on the Moon. Another goal of the Artemis program includes landing
the first person of color on the lunar surface.
The agency's powerful Space Launch System rocket will launch
four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft for their multi-day
journey to lunar orbit. There, two crew members will transfer to
the SpaceX human landing system (HLS) for the final leg of their
journey to the surface of the Moon. After approximately a week
exploring the surface, they will board the lander for their short
trip back to orbit where they will return to Orion and their
colleagues before heading back to Earth.
The firm-fixed price, milestone-based contract total award value
is $2.89 billion.
"With this award, NASA and our partners will complete the first
crewed demonstration mission to the surface of the Moon in the 21st
century as the agency takes a step forward for women's equality and
long-term deep space exploration," said Kathy Lueders, NASA's associate administrator
for Human Explorations and Operations Mission Directorate. "This
critical step puts humanity on a path to sustainable lunar
exploration and keeps our eyes on missions farther into the solar
system, including Mars."
SpaceX has been working closely with NASA experts during the HLS
base period of performance to inform its lander design and ensure
it meets NASA's performance requirements and human spaceflight
standards. A key tenet for safe systems, these agreed-upon
standards range from areas of engineering, safety, health, and
medical technical areas.
"This is an exciting time for NASA and especially the Artemis
team," said Lisa Watson-Morgan,
program manager for HLS at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in
Huntsville, Alabama. "During the
Apollo program, we proved that it is possible to do the seemingly
impossible: land humans on the Moon. By taking a collaborative
approach in working with industry while leveraging NASA's proven
technical expertise and capabilities, we will return American
astronauts to the Moon's surface once again, this time to explore
new areas for longer periods of time."
SpaceX's HLS Starship, designed to land on the Moon, leans on
the company's tested Raptor engines and flight heritage of the
Falcon and Dragon vehicles. Starship includes a spacious cabin and
two airlocks for astronaut moonwalks. The Starship architecture is
intended to evolve to a fully reusable launch and landing system
designed for travel to the Moon, Mars, and other destinations.
The HLS award is made under the Next Space Technologies for
Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP-2) Appendix H Broad Agency
Announcement (BAA).
In parallel with executing the Appendix H award, NASA intends to
implement a competitive procurement for sustainable crewed lunar
surface transportation services that will provide human access to
the lunar surface using the Gateway on a regularly recurring basis
beyond the initial crewed demonstration mission.
With NASA's Space Launch System rocket,
Orion spacecraft, HLS, and the Gateway lunar outpost,
NASA and its commercial and international partners are returning to
the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and
inspiration for a new generation. Working with its partners
throughout the Artemis program, the agency will fine-tune precision
landing technologies and develop new mobility capabilities to
enable exploration of new regions of the Moon. On the surface, the
agency has proposed building a new habitat and rovers, testing new
power systems and more. These and other innovations and
advancements made under the Artemis program will ensure that NASA
and its partners are ready for human exploration's next big
step—the exploration of Mars.
For more information about the human landing system, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/content/humans-on-the-moon-0
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SOURCE NASA