Elon Musk's SpaceX bags $3bn NASA contract to, fingers crossed, land first woman on the Moon
- Reference: 1618612136
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/04/16/nasa_spacex_moon/
- Source link:
Elon Musk's rocketry biz thus scoops a $2.89bn contract to put the first woman and the 13th man on the Moon as part of the American space agency's Artemis program. NASA will use its own [1]much-delayed SLS booster to launch four astronauts into orbit and make the trans-lunar injection burn – pointing them Moon-ward, basically – and then two of the 'nauts will transfer to SpaceX hardware to touch down.
[2]
“This is an exciting time for NASA and especially the Artemis team,” [3]said Lisa Watson-Morgan, program manager for HLS at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
“During the Apollo program, we proved that it is possible to do the seemingly impossible: land humans on the Moon. By taking a collaborative approach in working with industry while leveraging NASA’s proven technical expertise and capabilities, we will return American astronauts to the Moon’s surface once again, this time to explore new areas for longer periods of time.”
[4]
[5]Ice, ice maybe? Astrobotic will ride SpaceX's Falcon Heavy to the Moon in 2023 and drop off NASA's water-hunting rover
[6]Another successful flight for SpaceX's Starship apart from the landing-in-one-piece thing
[7]Boldly going where Elon Musk will probably go before: NASA successfully tests SLS Moon rocket core stage
[8]SpaceX small print on Starlink insists no Earth government has authority or sovereignty over Martian activities
[9]Musk see: Watch SpaceX's latest Starship rocket explode while trying to touch down
Last May, NASA [10]announced a three-way contest to provide landing hardware for the Moon, between SpaceX, Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin startup, and US-based Dynetics. By choosing a single partner, NASA can get the job done with lower costs – provided it works.
SpaceX has been working hard on its Starship reusable rocket, and has mastered the art of getting it into the air and almost landing it [11]in one piece . The Moon offers Starship some advantages, primarily the minuscule gravity compared to Earth. The craft's reusability aspect is particularly attractive to NASA. Elon's Musketeers are planning to use Starship modules as refill stations in orbit and beyond.
"With this award, NASA and our partners will complete the first crewed demonstration mission to the surface of the Moon in the 21st century as the agency takes a step forward for women’s equality and long-term deep space exploration,” said Kathy Lueders, NASA's associate administrator for Human Explorations and Operations Mission Directorate.
[12]
“This critical step puts humanity on a path to sustainable lunar exploration and keeps our eyes on missions farther into the solar system, including Mars.” ®
Get our [13]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2021/03/19/nasa_sls_core_stage_success/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YHpdVqETqlc5GdV6gt4JfQAAAIg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/as-artemis-moves-forward-nasa-picks-spacex-to-land-next-americans-on-moon
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YHpdVqETqlc5GdV6gt4JfQAAAIg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] http://www.theregister.com/2021/04/14/astrobotic_spacex_griffin_viper/
[6] http://www.theregister.com/2021/03/30/spacex_starship_sn11/
[7] http://www.theregister.com/2021/03/19/nasa_sls_core_stage_success/
[8] http://www.theregister.com/2021/02/23/starlink_moon/
[9] http://www.theregister.com/2021/02/02/spacex_starship_explodes/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2020/05/01/lunar_lander/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2021/03/30/spacex_starship_sn11/
[12] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YHpdVqETqlc5GdV6gt4JfQAAAIg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[13] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: To do list
But now they have some funds to help make that happen, and fast.
Might even be able to do a couple of test landings on the moon first, not like the pilots would be able to see the surface anyway...
Re: To do list
The contract is to do one unmanned test landing followed by the crewed one.
Re: To do list
Cameras could provide a stereoscopic image of the approaching surface, but I doubt the pilots will be flying manually, as the Apollo crews did.
Re: To do list
Since Musk has fingers in the EV pie, perhaps he could throw in a Moon Rover as well.
putting a Tesla up there would be something of an advertising coup.
Elon's Musketeers
While I wish the focus was on the Lunar Gateway and in orbit refueling, I'm still excited.
Besides landing, the Starship is well on its way to being astronaut rated. The Super Heavy prototype launch vehicle has been stacked for initial tests. The refueling is not a part of this contract. And Twitter is ready and waiting for Elon.
A pint to the Musketeers (and the proposal writers). Best of luck.
Re: Booster Number 1 + refuelling
BN1 has already been cut into big pieces which are being scrapped. There are some (relatively) small pieces of BN2 and BN3. They are currently stacking SN16 and some big propellant tanks for use on the ground.
There will be in orbit refuelling, but not explicitly defined by NASA. NASA wanted many details about prospective human landing systems but left how each HLS gets to Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit to the each provider.
Starships can put 100+t in low Earth orbit. The maximum payload drops rapidly for higher energy orbits because of the propellant that must be reserved for re-use. Getting the lunar Starship to NRHO requires refuelling in LEO for a "small" cargo and further refuelling in a highly elliptical orbit for the full 100+t. Getting a tanker Starship with a full cargo of propellant to meet another Starship in that elliptical orbit requires refuelling the tanker in LEO.
After the uncrewed test trip from NRHO to the Moon and back the lunar Starship will need refuelling for then next (crewed) mission. That will require sending a tanker Starship (or several) to NRHO (and back) and that tanker will need to be refuelled at LEO to get to NHRO. The payload for the second trip to the Moon also has to get to NRHO - by cargo Starship, which again requires more refuelling.
One of NASA's concerns with the SpaceX HLS was the large number of refuelling launches required for each trip to the Moon. The SpaceX bid overcame this because the vast majority of refuelling events take place in LEO so scheduling and extra refuel to cover a failure does not cause a huge delay or cost increase compared to any trip to NRHO.
One of the bits I liked was what happens if you are on the Moon and decide your ascent vehicle is busted. With a Starship you have a massively oversized cargo bay for extra food, a large LOX tank to breath and a methane+LOX to burn to stay warm and to provide water. The really scary thing about the Lunar Gateway is if you miss your launch window from the Moon you have to wait another 7 days for the gateway to get back to where you can meet it. Starship gives you three places to wait that out: the crew habitat and each of the two airlocks has independent life support.
Contract omission
Should have specified Musk has to accompany the designated astronauts to the moon and back.
..land first woman on the Moon..
First woman : Eve.
Will be quite an achievement, that.
To do list
1) Design and build HLS Starship variant.
2) Design and build in-orbit refuelling Starship variant.
3) Complete development of Super Heavy booster.
SpaceX are going to be busy!
Good luck guys, and well done.