NASA has awarded new study contracts aimed at advancing the capabilities necessary for long-term human exploration on the lunar surface. Announced Thursday, the agency awarded contracts to nine American companies across seven states as part of its ongoing efforts to support the Artemis program and deep space exploration.
The Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships Appendix R contracts will focus on overcoming everyday challenges associated with the lunar environment, as identified in NASA’s Moon to Mars architecture. These contracts are integral to developing sustainable solutions for life and work on the Moon, setting the stage for future missions, including those to Mars.
“These contract awards are the catalyst for developing critical capabilities for the Artemis missions and the everyday needs of astronauts for long-term exploration on the lunar surface,” said Nujoud Merancy, Deputy Associate Administrator for NASA’s Strategy and Architecture Office. “The strong response to our request for proposals is a testament to the growing interest in human exploration and the burgeoning deep-space economy. This is an important step to a sustainable return to the Moon, and with our commercial partners, we will foster innovation and expand our knowledge for future lunar missions and beyond.”
The awarded contracts, with a combined value of $24 million, support a range of innovative strategies and concepts aimed at logistics and mobility solutions for the Moon. These include advanced robotics and autonomous technologies to aid in surface operations.
Awarded Companies and Their Proposed Solutions Include:
- Blue Origin (Merritt Island, Florida): Logistics carriers, offloading, transfer, staging, storage, tracking, and integrated strategies.
- Intuitive Machines (Houston, Texas): Logistics handling, offloading, and surface mobility.
- Leidos (Reston, Virginia): Logistics carriers, transfer, staging, storage, tracking, trash management, and integrated strategies.
- Lockheed Martin (Littleton, Colorado): Logistics carriers, transfer, and surface mobility.
- MDA Space (Houston): Surface cargo and mobility solutions.
- Moonprint (Dover, Delaware): Logistics carriers.
- Pratt Miller Defense (New Hudson, Michigan): Surface cargo and mobility solutions.
- Sierra Space (Louisville, Colorado): Logistics carriers, transfer, staging, storage, tracking, trash management, and integrated strategies.
- Special Aerospace Services (Huntsville, Alabama): Logistics carriers, offloading, transfer, staging, storage, tracking, trash management, surface mobility, and integrated strategies.
NASA continues to work closely with industry, academia, and international partners to refine its plans for crewed lunar exploration. These efforts will lay the groundwork for sustainable human missions to the Moon and ultimately enable humanity's journey to Mars and beyond.
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