Science

NASA shock: Breakthrough talks see space agency team up with major rivals for moon mission


Joining the Space agencies in their efforts to transport large cargo to the lunar surface are prominent commercial space companies including the likes of SpaceX and Blue Origin among others. The partnerships will join nine companies that are part of NASA’s new CLPS program, which stands for Commercial Lunar Payload Services. The aim of the group is to create multiple different capabilities for transporting scientific instruments and cargo to the Moon, as NASA aims to return to its surface by 2024.

Membership in the group doesn’t however guarantee each company a NASA contract. Instead, the companies will respond to demand from the space agency and each but in bids for NASA’s consideration.

The companies being added today — SpaceX, Blue Origin, Sierra Nevada Corporation, Ceres Robotics, Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems Inc. — all vow to transport much heavier payloads than what the original nine CLPS companies say they can carry.

The original nine companies were originally set the target of taking ten kilograms to the moon but the new companies added should be able to able to eventually carry several tons.

“We have a need and saw a need to bring on some additional providers that had enhanced lander capabilities,” Steve Clarke, deputy associate administrator for exploration in NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, said during a press conference announcing the new CLPS participants.

“This is based on our objectives — the agency’s objectives — to get to the moon as soon as possible, both from a scientific standpoint and from a human exploration standpoint.”

NASA remains keen to showcase its technologies it would use in future space missions and is keen to travel to the Moon’s lunar south pole in order to scout for potential ice water.

If found the ice would act as a crucial resource for future human missions.

Blue Origin is bidding its Blue Moon lander design, unveiled by founder Jeff Bezos back in May.

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Beijing’s ambitious space programme has stepped up a notch after China completed tests on its Martian lander, which is set to be part of the nation’s unmanned mission to the Red Planet.

Chinese officials wanted to see how the lander coped with being dropped from vast distances, and if it could land without damage.

The craft was held 70 metres above the ground by cables before being dropped.

As it approached the ground, the lander then began to hover using jets.

According to officials, the test was designed to see how well the machine could land in a similar environment to Mars – although gravity on the Red Planet is just a third of Earth’s.

Zhang Kejian, head of the China National Space Administration, said at the event which was witnessed by international media and foreign diplomats:

“In 2016, China officially began the Mars exploration mission work, and currently all of the different development work is progressing smoothly.

“The hovering-and-obstacle avoidance test for the Mars lander being carried out today makes up a crucial part of the development process. As scheduled, China’s first Mars exploration mission will take place in 2020.”

If the mission is successful, China will be just the second country to have landed a craft on Mars, with the US having already done it with NASA.



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