NASA is aiming to establish a lunar outpost on the surface of the moon within less than a decade. The space agency is pushing forward with its Artemis program, recently announcing the assignment of two selected vehicles for demonstration missions to send astronauts to the moon.
Both SpaceX and Blue Origin have been awarded contracts by NASA for the Human Landing System and are designing their own vehicles to facilitate astronauts’ return to the lunar surface. NASA has now informed these two companies to prepare for upcoming qualification test missions to conduct real-world tests on these designs, requiring them to deliver large cargo to the moon.
In a statement released on November 19th, NASA explained that these missions are based on its request in 2023 for SpaceX and Blue Origin to build variants of their lunar landers for delivering cargo. Having two different lunar landing systems to choose from will provide NASA with flexibility for both crewed and cargo missions, ensuring the ability to regularly land on the moon to continue exploration and scientific experiments, according to Stephen D. Creech, the technical deputy director of NASA’s Moon to Mars Program Office.
Developing variants of lunar landers for delivering cargo is a significant step in NASA’s ongoing expansion of human settlements on the moon in the next decade.
“Based on the current progress of designs and development of crewed and cargo landers, as well as the Artemis mission schedule for crewed lander versions, NASA has assigned SpaceX the mission of delivering a pressurized rover and assigned Blue Origin the mission of delivering construction materials for lunar habitats,” stated Lisa Watson-Morgan, manager of the Human Landing System program.
The pressurized rover mission developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is set to be launched by SpaceX’s starship rocket in 2032 to support missions following Artemis 6. Blue Origin’s mission to deliver construction materials for lunar habitats will be realized in the subsequent year of 2033.
The Artemis program aims to send astronauts back to the moon for the first time since the Apollo era of the 1970s and to establish a permanent human settlement near the lunar south pole. This region of the moon is rich in water-ice, which can be used to help sustain the lunar base and even aid in producing other necessary resources such as rocket fuel.
Ultimately, NASA views the Artemis program as a testing ground for future missions to Mars, but there is still a long road ahead before setting sights on the red planet.
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, in November 2022, launched an unmanned “Orion” spacecraft on the Artemis 1 mission, which entered lunar orbit and then returned to Earth.
Artemis 2 will launch four astronauts on a shorter journey, flying around the moon before returning directly to Earth. Originally scheduled for the end of 2024, this mission has been delayed to the end of 2025, also pushing back the inaugural crewed moon landing mission, Artemis 3, to 2026.