Huntsville-based Dynetics, along with four industry partners, has been tapped by NASA to assist the agency in enabling a consistent pace of manned excursions to the moon’s surface as part of the Artemis program.
NASA said the companies will make advancements toward sustainable human landing system concepts, conduct risk-reduction activities, and provide feedback on NASA’s requirements to cultivate industry capabilities for crewed lunar landing missions.
The work will begin immediately and will be conducted over the course of 15 months, according to the agency. The combined value of NASA’s series of awards totals $146 million.
We’ve selected 5 U.S. companies to help us refine human landing system concepts for #Artemis.
The companies will make advancements toward sustainable human landers, conduct risk-reduction activities, & enable consistent crewed trips to the lunar surface. https://t.co/QsizAcyv3d pic.twitter.com/e3uKFZPbiV
— NASA Artemis (@NASAArtemis) September 14, 2021
Kathy Lueders, NASA’s associate administrator for Human Exploration and Operations, said the work conducted will be of long-term benefit for the agency’s ambitious Artemis program.
“Establishing a long-term human presence on the Moon through recurring services using lunar landers is a major Artemis goal,” said Lueders. “This critical step lays the foundation for U.S. leadership in learning more about the moon and for learning how to live and work in deep space for future missions farther into the solar system.”
According to the agency, the selected companies will develop lander design concepts, evaluating their performance, design, construction standards, mission assurance requirements, interfaces, safety, crew health accommodations and medical capabilities.
The companies will also mitigate lunar lander risks by conducting critical component tests and advancing the maturity of key technologies, NASA says.
The work from these companies will ultimately help shape the strategy and requirements for a future NASA’s solicitation to provide regular astronaut transportation from lunar orbit to the surface of the Moon.
Lisa Watson-Morgan, Human Landing System Program manager at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, hailed the collaborative effort of industry giants in support of the Artemis program.
“Collaboration with our partners is critical to achieving NASA’s long-term Artemis lunar exploration goals,” said Watson-Morgan. “By partnering with innovative U.S. companies, we will establish a robust lunar economy while exploring new areas of the Moon for generations to come.”
The core element of returning the United States to the lunar surface is NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) program, which is the first primary launch vehicle for the multi-phase Artemis mission. SLS will be the world’s most powerful rocket, according to Marshall Space Flight Center officials.
Yellowhammer News earlier this month reported that while remaining noncommittal to a specific date, it is the desire of SLS program manager John Honeycutt to conduct the first launch toward the end of the year
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
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