NASA recently announced it will launch the first-ever commercial lunar delivery service in 2023. The program will work with 14 companies to send equipment for science, exploration, and commercial development on the Moon. Later, four astronauts will hover over the lunar surface to prepare for the first ones to land on the moon since 1972.
NASA’s long-term goal is to install human settlements on the Moon and other planets. A commercial lunar delivery system will help those people receive their needs from Earth. Eventually, that will help us develop sustainable infrastructure so that those colonies become self-sufficient. Later, you could send a postcard or a gift from your relatives on Earth!
This article will discuss how NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) will work. Later, I will elaborate on NASA’s plan to put human communities on the Moon.
How would a lunar delivery service work?
Hearing “lunar delivery” might make you think of your Amazon driver dropping off packages at the International Space Station. However, only 14 companies will conduct deliveries under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative.
They will deliver various payloads for NASA, “including payload integration and operations, launching from Earth and landing on the service of the Moon. The space agency said these shipments will “perform science experiments, test technologies, and demonstrate capabilities to help NASA explore the moon and prepare for human missions.”
NASA believes CLPS would “radically” increase the amount of science we could achieve. “This high-risk, higher-reward initiative will invest in and leverage the entrepreneurial spirit of American innovation to launch a commercial, lunar marketplace, advancing technology, and exploration for all of us,” the video above said.
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The lunar delivery service would enable the organization “to make novel measurements and develop technologies that scientists have long wanted to do on the lunar surface.” Also, the project will enable NASA “to make novel measurements and develop technologies that scientists have long wanted to do on the lunar surface.”
Soon, the space agency will deploy similar services in other heavenly bodies, such as Mars. Also, it will send the first humans to the Moon and the Red Planet.
What are NASA’s other plans?
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is working with NASA for the latter’s most ambitious project: establishing human lunar communities. They call it the 10-Year Lunar Architecture or the LunA-10 Project.
It will test how people could live on the Moon for seven months. DARPA Strategic Technology Office program manager Michael Nayak explained his organization’s plans:
“For 65 years, DARPA has pioneered and de-risked technologies vital to civil space advancement. LunA-10 continues this rich legacy by identifying and accelerating key technologies that may be used by government and the commercial space industry, and ultimately to catalyze economic vibrancy on the Moon.”
DARPA prioritizes the development of key industries like construction, communications, sciences, medicine, and mining. Also, the science update website Interesting Engineering says DARPA is working with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
These groups collaborate to identify additional investments necessary for the DARPA Moon study’s success.” Nayak explained, “We set out to talk with NASA, figure out what they’re doing, figure out what their roadmap is…”
“And then see if there are other complementary investments that we can make to significantly advance the state of the art that align with your typical DARPA mission,” he added.
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NASA also collaborated with a construction technology company to 3D print houses on the Moon. Even better, ICON said it will use lunar soil as concrete.
Lunar soil corrodes and dents conventional space structures. Also, sending materials from Earth to the Moon is extremely expensive, so traditional buildings aren’t viable on the lunar surface.
That is why the company turned that problem into a solution. It will use a large 3D printer to construct homes and other facilities based on digital plans.
Conclusion
The first commercial lunar delivery service will launch in 2023. It will send equipment and other materials to the Moon to facilitate research and development.
Soon, it could help the first human colonies to receive important stuff from Earth. Once they become self-sufficient, the CLPS might become as casual as ordering from Amazon.
Learn more about the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) on its NASA webpage. Also, check out the latest digital tips and trends at Inquirer Tech.