NASA has concentrated on the incredible path in order to proceed with space program. The idea is to grow the number of scientific activities on lunar surface and around it. The main point will be to bring scientists there and then come back to Earth with the results from observation.
NASA has added the program for space exploration to its budget proposal in 2019. It involves campaign directed solely on lunar’s exploration with few robotic missions.
According to the associate administrator of the exploration department in NASA, Bill Gerstenmaier, the Moon will become the stepping stone for further expanding of human race’s presence in the solar system. This will be a start of an absolutely new level of human exploration and in space industry. It will be the next step in exploration of the Mars, serving the training possibility for all the further projects.
Landers in the Space Industry
NASA is going to launch a number of non-governmental robotic landers or rockets to fulfill all the budgeting and activity plans regarding lunar projects. This spring the community will be able to see and analyze the budget proposal from NASA for 2019.
The solicitation will be open and available to public and to all providers, and it will help to motivate and somehow enhance the space industry economy. Commercial initiative like CATALYST that cooperate with NASA will help to promote and increase the opportunities for development in the industry, as well as to bring modern commercial technologies to the Moon-related field.
NASA has also a plan on how to contribute to the development of the future human landers. At first NASA will start from smaller capacity landers, gradually increasing its size and possibilities in order to transfer up to 6,000 kg. It can be used not only to transfer people to the Moon, scientific and research operations will largely benefit from it as well. It will give start to lots of exploration programs, as all of the samples and resources will be transported easily and utilized in the same way.
NASA will look for feedback from industry later in spring 2018 to find the best possible way to continue developing this initiative, looking for new ways of cooperation and partnerships. The aim of this solicitation is to create a strong bond between NASA and commercial space industry. The pioneering commercial missions to the Moon are planned to occur by 2022, but no earlier.
Creator’s artistic expression of the Lunar Orbital Gateway. Source: NASA