Tag: commercial lunar payload services

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ispace reveals the final design of its lunar lander ahead of its first mission to the Moon in 2022

Japanese new space startup ispace has revealed the final design of its HAKUTO-R lunar lander, a spacecraft set to make its first touchdown on the Moon in 2022 if all goes to the updated plan (it had been set to fly in October 2021 until today). ispace is one of the companies selected by NASA for its Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program to deliver various payloads to the Moon ahead of NASA planned human mission to the lunar surface in 2024.

The lander is just a bit taller than a person, at around seven and a half feet tall (it’s basically that wide and long as well). The design includes 4K color cameras that will beam back images throughout the mission, as well as fuel tanks for holding its propellant, solar panels for power generation, landing gear, thrusters and payload compartments for holding up to 66 lbs of experiments and other materials.

ispace also announced adjusted timing for its first lunar lander missions for HAKUTO-R as mentioned. The first will now take place in 2022, using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, and carrying commercial payloads including equipment for conducting scientific experiments. The second is now set for 2023, and will carry a small rover that will survey the Moon and pave the way for potential long-term commercial investment on the lunar surface.

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NASA signs agreement with Japan to cooperate across Space Station, Artemis and Lunar Gateway projects

NASA has signed a new agreement with Japan that lays out plans for the two nations to cooperate on the International Space Station (continuing existing partnership between the countries there) as well as on NASA’s Artemis program, which includes missions in lunar space and to the lunar surface.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine signed the agreement with Government of Japan Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Koichi Hagiuda on July 10. It’s a Joint Exploration Decoration of Intent (JEDI), which essentially commits the two countries to laying the groundwork for more concrete plans about how the two nations will work together on projects that will extend all the way to include both robotic and human exploration of the Moon .

Japan was one of the earliest countries to express their intent to participate as an international partner in NASA’s Lunar Gateway project, all the way back in October 2019. Since then, a number of countries and agencies have expressed similar support, including Canada, which will contribute by building a third version of its Canadarm, the robotic manipulator that has been used on the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station, and the European Space Agency.

This new agreement formalizes that arrangement, and from here you can expect both parties to begin to detail in more specificity what kinds of projects they’ll collaborate on. Japan has plans to launch a robotic space probe mission to the moons of Mars and return samples from Phobos, its largest natural satellite, with a launch schedule for 2024, and it has launched a lunar orbiter exploration spacecraft called SELENE, and is planning a lunar lander mission dubbed the ‘Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) for 2022 that will be its first lunar surface mission.

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NASA picks Astrobotic to deliver its water-hunting robot rover to the Moon

NASA has selected a company to fly its VIPER Moon rover to the Moon, for a mission which will be a crucial step in its Artemis program as it will help the agency determine where and how it can establish a long-term presence on the lunar surface. NASA announced on Thursday that Astrobotic will be its commercial partner in delivering the payload, with the mission currently scheduled for a December, 2022 Moon surface landing.

VIPER stands for ‘Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover,’ and the roughly golf cart-sized robotic rover will be scouring the Moon’s South Pole region for water ice, as well as liquid water beneath the surface, if it exists. This is a key intermediary step for the Artemis program, which still intends to return the next American man and the first American woman to the lunar surface by 2024. Having a handy source of water will be an important part of establishing any long-term sustainable base on the Moon, since it can provide the necessary ingredients for a self-contained lunar fuel production facility.

NASA’s choice of Astrobotic for this mission is not surprising, since the agency has already contracted Astrobotic as part of its Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. The company is set to transport scientific payloads to the lunar surface aboard its Peregrine lander for its first CLPS mission in 2021, using a ULA Vulcan rocket to get to the Moon. This is a separate contract, which as mentioned is timed for a 2022 window.

Developing…

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RocketLab tests new hyperCurie engine that will power its deep space delivery vehicle

Rocket Lab is already in the testing phase for a new engine it’s building to propel its forthcoming Photon Lunar spacecraft, according to CEO and founder Peter Beck . Beck shared an image of the engine, called hyperCurie, undergoing tests conducted by the company’s propellant team.

HyperCurie, as its name implies, is an evolution of the Curie engine that currently powers the third stage of the Electron rocket that Rocket Lab uses for its missions, as well as the Photon satellite bus. The hyperCurie will power the forthcoming Photon Lunar, which is a new satellite bus being developed by Rocket Lab to carry small payloads to the Moon, Mars, Venus and even beyond.

Rocket Lab was awarded a contract to launch a payload to the Moon on behalf of NASA back in February, and it clearly sees more opportunity in delivering small satellites both to lunar orbit and to other deep space destinations on behalf of the agency as well as other clients. The NASA lunar mission will be a precursor to the agency’s ultimate goal of building and deploying a Lunar Gateway orbital station near the Moon, which will be a key element for future Moon exploration and long-term human missions.

Beck previously shared a detailed wireframe schematic drawing of Photon Lunar at the beginning of this month, showing the forthcoming spacecraft with the hyperCurie engine attached. HyperCurie uses electric pumps, unlike the pressure-fed Curie, to improve its peformance and produce more thrust.

Rocket Lab’s lunar delivery mission for NASA is set to take place in 2021 based on current timelines, so it makes sense that the engine would already be ar enough along to be in the active testing phase.

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CMU’s tiny robot rover passes NASA design review ahead of 2021 trip to the Moon

Carnegie Mellon University is one step closer to operating its robotic rover on the surface of the Moon: The school’s diminutive bot has passed a crucial NASA design review, performed by the agency in collaboration with Astrobotic, whose Peregrine lunar lander will be providing the ride for the robot down to the surface of the Moon on a mission set for 2021.

The positive result from the design review did include a few design tweaks that the team will now implement as it moves from prototype to flight-ready rover, a process that’s designed to take place this summer. That version will stress tested for conditions during the launch and flight to Moon, to ensure its own safety, and the safety of other payloads on board the Peregrine lander, which is taking a number of experiments to the lunar surface on behalf of NASA.

CMU’s rover, dubbed Iris, weighs roughly four pounds, and it’s about the size of a large toaster. It’ll get the distinction of becoming the first U.S. robotic rover to explore the surface of the Moon, however, should it make its flight target. Eventually, it could also pave the way for a line of “CubeRovers,” or tiny, relatively inexpensive rovers that could contribute to a range of scientific investigations and endeavors, both public and private, without breaking the bank.

Iris has four wheels, but also two video cameras, which represent the main sensor loadout for the little robot. Camera miniaturization means that it’s a lot easier to collect quality image and video data from even small robot exploratory platforms, which is great news for companies like Astrobotic that hope to kickstart a whole new market of private deep space exploration using lightweight, affordable lander platforms like Peregrine.

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Here’s how Blue Origin’s human lander system will carry astronauts to the lunar surface

Blue Origin was among the companies selected by NASA to develop and build a human lander system for its Artemis missions, which include delivering the next man and first woman to the surface of the Moon in 2024. The Jeff Bezos -founded space company chose to deliver a bid that included a space industry ‘dream team’ of subcontractors, including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Draper, and its Artemis Human Landing System will use the expertise of all three.

The Blue Origin bid was one of three that ended up winning a contract form NASA, alongside SpaceX’s Starship and a human landing system developed by Dynetics working with a range of subcontractors. Blue Origin originally debuted its vision of a human lander last year, first with the unveiling of its Blue Moon craft in May, and then with the announcement of its cross-industry ‘national team’ at IAC later in the year.

Now, the company has released an animation of how its landing system will work, including Blue Moon docking with a transfer element to bring astronauts over from the Orion capsule that will carry them to the Moon from Earth, as well as the descent stage to actually land, and the ascent stage to take-off again from the disposable lander platform and return the astronauts to their ride home.

Here’s where each each company is involved and what they’re contributing to what you see above: Blue Origin is building the lander proper, which is that platform with legs which you see first in the video, and which is left behind on the Moon at the end. Lockheed Martin builds the bubble-like vehicle which attaches to the lander, and which takes off from it at the end. Northrop Grumman builds the long cylinder that connects up with the lander and provides its propulsion through low lunar orbit as it readies to land, and then disconnects before the actual descent. Draper is behind the senses across all of this, delivering avionics for flight control and the landing itself.

As mentioned, Blue Origin is one of three companies selected by NASA to develop these lander systems, but its team brings a lot of combined expertise in spaceflight and spacecraft development to the table. The launch system itself will arrive separately from the astronauts on board Orion, making the trip either via a New Glenn rocket built by Blue Origin, which is still in development, or via the United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan, another in-development spacecraft which is set to take off for the first time next year.

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SpaceX, Blue Origin and Dynetics will build human lunar landers for NASA’s next trip back to the Moon

NASA has selected the companies that will provide them with the human landing system for their Artemis Moon missions, including a lander vehicle which will carry astronauts from space to the lunar surface for the first time since 1972. Blue Origin, SpaceX and Dynetics were picked from a larger field of competitors to develop and build human landing systems (HLS) to carry the first woman and the next man to the Moon, a goal which NASA still hopes to accomplish by 2024.

SpaceX’s Starship was selected as a lander that will launch using the SpaceX Super Heavy rocket. Starship is the spacecraft that SpaceX currently has in development, which is designed as a fully reusable spacecraft for missions to orbit, to the Moon and to Mars . Super Heavy is also currently in development, and will act as a fully reusable booster that’s capable of propelling the large mass of Starship to orbit with a full payload. Starship as a lander choice is an interesting one, because it’s a very different model and design from landers that have made the trip previously.

NASA says that the Starship selection can help its long-erm goals because of its flexible design, enabling it to provide fuel transfer in Earth orbit for the longer trip transporting crew, including from Orion or the Gateway Moon-orbital station to the lunar surface. SpaceX’s proposal included providing a demonstration of in-space propellant transfer between vehicles, as well as an uncrewed test landing on the Moon.

Interestingly, while the Space Launch System (SLS) developed to take the Orion crew capsule to the Moon by 2024 will be the only human-rated rocket capable of transporting people there, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine noted on the call that this doesn’t necessarily mean human-rated landers need to make it to the Moon using the SLS as well. So, in theory, Super Heavy could launch Starship and take it to the Moon, where it would potentially dock with Orion (which made the trip using SLS) and then make that final leg of the trip to the lunar surface.

SpaceX human-rated Starship concept.

Blue Origin’s Blue Moon is more traditionally designed, as far as dedicated landers go, and involves a multipart descent and ascent system that’s less integrated than Starship. At last year’s International Astronautical Congress, Jeff Bezos presented a more detailed look at Blue Origin’s bid for the job, along with his partners and what roles they’ll play. That “national team” sees Lockheed Martin building the ‘ascent element’ part of the launch system, which will provide liftoff for their HLS, while Northrop Grumman will provide the system for transferring the lander craft from the launch vehicle to its descent position, and then Blue Origin is building the lander and the descent system for actually bringing it down to the Moon’s surface. Draper is providing avionics and descent guidance. Blue Moon will be able to be launched on both Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket, and ULA’s Vulcan. Like Starship, then the Blue Moon lander system could use a different launch vehicle to make the trip before carrying astronauts.

Blue Origin’s Blue Moon lander concept.

Dynetics, which is a subsidiary of Leidos (formerly SAIC) has a long history of demonstrated expertise in space and defence, and was originally founded in 1969. It’ll be developing its Dynetics Human Landing System which includes one lander with agent and descent capabilities, and it’ll be carried aboard the ULA Vulcan launch system on its trip to the Moon. Dynetics is working with a number of subcontractors on its system, including Sierra Nevada Corp.

The Dynetics Human Landing System concept design.

The full list of companies vying for this contract included Blue Origin, with Jeff Bezos’ company taking the lead for its collaborative industry-spanning team; Boeing, which is one of NASA’s providers for its Commercial Crew program; SpaceX, which developed the other vehicle for Commercial Crew, and is targeting its first crewed flight for late May; and other smaller companies including Sierra Nevada Corportation, which has been developing a reusable space plane for use in various missions including space station resupply, and Dynetics, which was a surprise winner in the race.

The award here reflects NASA’s stated goal to have at least two systems in parallel development from multiple providers, which offers redundancy in case of any major setbacks, and which also means that the agency will theoretically have at least two human landing systems to choose from going forward. The purpose of Artemis is to not only return humans to the lunar surface, but help NASA establish a permanent deep space presence for human exploration, including to Mars and potentially beyond.

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Firefly Aerospace signs customer Spaceflight for Alpha rocket launch in 2021

Firefly Aerospace has signed an agreement with Spaceflight Inc. that provides Spaceflight with the majority of the payload capacity aboard a Firefly launch vehicle scheduled to take off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California sometime in 2021. Spaceflight is a rideshare service provider for space-bound payloads, working with other companies to pool resources and combine spacecraft aboard one vehicle to defray the per-customer cost of a launch while maximizing use of the rocket’s payload capacity.

Firefly’s Alpha rocket, its first launch vehicle, will have a full payload capacity of 630 kilograms (around 1,400 lbs) to sun synchronous orbit, and Spaceflight will manage singing and integrating payloads from a number of customers to fill that capacity. This agreement also includes a provision that extends longer-term to future missions, with Spaceflight on board to help secure customers to join future Firefly Alpha launches as well.

Already, Spaceflight has emerged as a leading company in the rocket rideshare market, providing launch payload management services for 271 satellites across 29 different launches. Firefly is currently still in the testing phase for Alpha, but has made significant progress and continues its work despite the coronavirus pandemic, despite some setbacks including a fire on the test pad in January.

Firefly Aerospace still plans to fly Alpha for the first time later this year, with final acceptance testing of the vehicle’s first and second stages currently underway at the company’s Briggs, Texas facility. Should that initial test flight prove successful, the company should be in a good position to begin flying commercially in 2021.

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Intuitive Machines picks a launch date and landing site for 2021 Moon cargo delivery mission

The first private company scheduled to make a delivery of scientific cargo on behalf of NASA has specified a landing site, and a target date  for its mission. Intuitive Machines will seek to land its Nova-C lunar lander to a site called the ‘Vallis Schröteri,’ which is the largest valley fond on the Moon, and a fairly flat area that gets plenty of sunlight and doesn’t have any large craters or rocks to trip things up.

Intuitive Machines will be looking to launch on October 21, 2021, with subsequent backup dates available in case that’s not possible. The company has contracted SpaceX to launch Nova-C aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This mission will not only carry a range of science experiments for NASA, which will be used to help the agency gather more information in preparation for its Artemis missions, which seek to return humans to the Moon, but it’ll also include some commercial payloads.

The whole point of the Commercial Lunar Services Program (CLPS) under which Intuitive Machines was awarded this mission is that NASA is seeking to partner with private industry for carrying a number of predatory and supply payloads for its Artemis missions – with the hope that these partners will also be able to sign up other private entities as clients to help offset the cost of mission. In general, NASA under current Administrator Jim Bridenstine has espoused a policy of aggressively seeking public-private partnership where possible to pursue cost benefits through commercialization of space.

One of the key payloads on board Nova-C is a precision automated landing system that’s designed to help the lander avoid any potential hazards on the ground, which is a crucial system that will also be used to land astronauts back on the Moon in 2024 (provided NASA’s Artemis mission timelines don’t slip).

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NASA selects Masten Space Systems to deliver cargo to the Moon in 2022

NASA has chosen a new lunar surface delivery partner from its list of Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) vendors to actually transport stuff on its behalf – Mojave’s Masten Space Systems, which is being tapped by the agency to take eight payloads, including non science and tech instruments, to the Moon’s South Pole in 2022.

Masten is the fourth company awarded a lunar delivery contract under CLPS, after NASA announced that three other companies would be tasked with taking payloads back in May, 2019. Those included Astrobotic and Intuitive Machines, as well as Orbit Beyond. Orbit Beyond later dropped out of its contract, though Astrobotic and Intuitive Machines are still aiming to deliver their payloads using landers they’ve created sometime next year.

The new Masten contract, like the others in the CLOPS program, is part of NASA’s Artemis program, which seeks to return human tot he surface of the Moon, and set up permanent scientific exploration there, with the ultimate aim of using it as a stepping stone to taking humans to Mars and potentially beyond. NASA has focused on public-private partnerships like those formed through the CLPS program to assist it in making its Moon and Mars missions possible, and bringing commercial interests along for the ride.

Masten’s contract is a $75.9 million award, that specifies end-to-end delevirey of the payloads, as well as their integration with the company’s XL-1 lander. They’re also required to land on the Moon and operate for at least 12 days post-landing. The specific instruments that XL-1 will carry include tools for measuring and mapping the lunar surface temperature, as well as radiation, and the presence of hydrogen and other gases that could indicate the presence of water.

The XL-1 lander developed by Masten is an evolution of lander designs that took part in, and won the NASA Centennial Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander X-Prize Challenge in 2009. Masten has also developed and flown a number of vertical takeoff, vertical landing (VTVL) rockets on behalf of NASA, including the Xaero test vehicle.