Contracts totaling hundreds of millions of dollars will support the first phase of moon base plans. Blue Origin will provide two landers to deliver moon buggies to a site near the moon’s south pole, with lunar terrain vehicles built by Astrolab and Lunar Outpost. Firefly Aerospace will deliver the first drones to the moon. Hardware delivery is intended to occur before the first Artemis astronauts land as early as 2028. Artemis II will fly four astronauts around the moon, and Artemis III will practice docking the Orion capsule in Earth orbit with lunar landers for crews developed by Blue Origin and SpaceX. A second phase beginning in 2029 will build permanent infrastructure such as a power grid, while extended-stay habitats are expected in the 2030s. The base concept includes a large perimeter marked by drones called MoonFall, intended to respect other countries’ nearby spacecraft and equipment through reciprocity.
"Blue Origin will provide a pair of landers to deliver moon buggies to the lunar surface, at a spot near the moon's south pole. These so-called lunar terrain vehicles will be built by Astrolab and Lunar Outpost. Firefly Aerospace, which landed successfully on the moon last year, will deliver the first drones to the moon."
"All this hardware is ideally supposed to arrive before the first Artemis astronauts land on the moon, planned for as early as 2028. During April's Artemis II mission, four astronauts flew around the moon, traveling deeper into space than the Apollo moon crews did during the late 1960s and early 1970s. For next year's Artemis III, another team of astronauts will practice docking NASA's Orion capsule in orbit around Earth with the lunar landers being developed for crews by Blue Origin and Elon Musk's SpaceX."
"NASA is targeting Artemis III for mid-2027, with a landing by two astronauts following as soon as 2028. The moon base's second phase, from 2029 into the early 2030s, will start building up the permanent infrastructure, including a power grid. As for when the base will be ready to support astronauts for extended periods in specialized permanent habitats, that's expected sometime in the 2030s, during the third phase."
"Garcia-Galan envisions a moon base sprawling over hundreds of square miles, with a perimeter marked by drones, dubbed MoonFall, stationed at the corners. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said these territory markers are meant to be respectful of other countries' spacecraft and equipment that might be nearby. He expects reciprocity in the matter."
#artemis-program #moon-base-infrastructure #lunar-landers-and-rovers #spacex-and-blue-origin #international-lunar-operations
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