Photo: NASA
The headlines surrounding NASA's Artemis program will inevitably revolve around humanity's return to the lunar surface after almost six decades. But four astronauts alone don't constitute a Moon colony. A vast amount of equipment and materials measuring hundreds or even thousands of tons will have to make the journey as well. When cargo holds aboard human-crewed spacecraft aren't enough, dedicated cargo landers will soon form the backbone of Artemis.
With help from industry leaders like Blue Origin and SpaceX, a lunar support structure vital to the long-term health of long-term exploration won't be entirely reliant on human-crewed missions to bring Earth-made materials to the surface of the Moon. These two titans of private aerospace are to receive demonstration assignments where both sides have a chance to put genuine materials on the lunar surface.
NASA is planning for both crewed missions and future services missions to the Moon beyond Artemis V," said Stephen D. Creech, assistant deputy associate administrator for technical at NASA's Moon to Mars Program Office."The Artemis campaign is a collaborative effort with international and industry partners. Having two lunar lander providers with different approaches for crew and cargo landing capability provides mission flexibility while ensuring a regular cadence of Moon landings for continued discovery and scientific opportunity."
With no less than two of the most well-funded, talent-rich space delivery companies in the world at their beck and call, NASA will soon have two bespoke pilotless delivery vehicles at their disposal by the time the Artemis program kicks into high gear in the early 2030s. By this time, NASA expects at least three human-crewed lunar expeditions to be completed in the form of the Artemis III, IV, and V missions. From food and water resupplies to base-building materials and even the occasional lunar rover, these resupply ships are set to form the backbone of mankind's future presence on the Moon.
"Based on current design and development progress for both crew and cargo landers and the Artemis mission schedules for the crew lander versions, NASA assigned a pressurized rover mission for SpaceX and a lunar habitat delivery for Blue Origin," said Lisa Watson-Morgan, program manager for the Human Landing System at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama. "These large cargo lander demonstration missions aim to optimize our NASA and industry technical expertise, resources, and funding as we prepare for the future of deep space exploration."
For the moment, both SpaceX and Blue Origin are hard at work drafting proposals, which NASA plans to have across its desk sometime in early 2025. By this time, the Artemis II mission to circumnavigate lunar orbit for the first time in half a century will be preparing to get underway; truly an exciting time for space exploration.
NASA is planning for both crewed missions and future services missions to the Moon beyond Artemis V," said Stephen D. Creech, assistant deputy associate administrator for technical at NASA's Moon to Mars Program Office."The Artemis campaign is a collaborative effort with international and industry partners. Having two lunar lander providers with different approaches for crew and cargo landing capability provides mission flexibility while ensuring a regular cadence of Moon landings for continued discovery and scientific opportunity."
With no less than two of the most well-funded, talent-rich space delivery companies in the world at their beck and call, NASA will soon have two bespoke pilotless delivery vehicles at their disposal by the time the Artemis program kicks into high gear in the early 2030s. By this time, NASA expects at least three human-crewed lunar expeditions to be completed in the form of the Artemis III, IV, and V missions. From food and water resupplies to base-building materials and even the occasional lunar rover, these resupply ships are set to form the backbone of mankind's future presence on the Moon.
"Based on current design and development progress for both crew and cargo landers and the Artemis mission schedules for the crew lander versions, NASA assigned a pressurized rover mission for SpaceX and a lunar habitat delivery for Blue Origin," said Lisa Watson-Morgan, program manager for the Human Landing System at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama. "These large cargo lander demonstration missions aim to optimize our NASA and industry technical expertise, resources, and funding as we prepare for the future of deep space exploration."
For the moment, both SpaceX and Blue Origin are hard at work drafting proposals, which NASA plans to have across its desk sometime in early 2025. By this time, the Artemis II mission to circumnavigate lunar orbit for the first time in half a century will be preparing to get underway; truly an exciting time for space exploration.
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