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Three companies scored contracts from NASA connected Wednesday arsenic nan abstraction agency continues to activity a conveyance to carrier its astronauts astir nan Moon during Artemis missions.
NASA identified nan recipients arsenic Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost and Venturi Astrolab, each of whom are moving connected designs to supply that conveyance and service.
The abstraction agency wants nan lunar terrain conveyance operational successful 2030 for nan Artemis V crew.
HOUSTON, TX - OCTOBER 24: A NASA schematic is seen wrong nan Space Vehicle Mockup Facility during a media preview for an upcoming nationalist unfastened location astatine NASA's Johnson Space Center connected October 24, 2018 successful Houston, Texas. The nationalist unfastened location will celebr ((Photo by Loren Elliott/Getty Images) / Getty Images)
The teams from nan three companies will separately behaviour a "year-long typical study to create a strategy that meets NASA’s requirements done nan preliminary creation maturity task phase" done an first feasibility task order, NASA said Wednesday.
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Intuitive Machines said its statement for nan feasibility appraisal amounted to $30 million.
It is apt that only 1 of nan companies will person nan consequent grant for a "demonstration ngo to proceed processing nan LTV, present it to nan surface of nan Moon, and validate its capacity and information up of Artemis V," according to NASA.
The abstraction agency pegged nan worth of nan "indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, milestone-based" statement programme for nan lunar terrain conveyance astatine $4.6 cardinal successful total.
It officially started asked companies to taxable proposals for nan LTVs past year.
At nan time, NASA outlined nan slew of requirements and capabilities nan vehicles needed to person to execute some crewed and uncrewed activities. Those see features for withstanding nan lunar South Pole’s "extreme" acold temperatures, a robotic limb and semi-automonous driving, among others.
NASA wants room for 2 astronauts successful nan vehicles.
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"This conveyance will greatly summation our astronauts’ expertise to research and behaviour subject connected nan lunar aboveground while besides serving arsenic a subject level betwixt crewed missions," Johnson Space Center Director Vanessa Wyche said.
NASA unveiled nan Venturi Astrolab and 2 different companies were moving connected lunar terrain conveyance designs (Venturi Astrolab)
Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost and Venturi Astrolab released immoderate specifications astir their respective lunar terrain vehicles to coincide pinch nan statement news from NASA.
The conveyance that Intuitive Machines is moving connected has nan sanction "Reusable Autonomous Crewed Exploration Rover" (RACER). Venturi Astrolab’s is called nan Flexible Logistics and Exploration (FLEX) rover, according to a property release.
Intuitive Machines is moving connected a lunar terrain vehicle (Intuitive Machines)
Lunar Outpost’s creation will person a reconfigurable cargo furniture and different commercialized usage capabilities.
The lunar terrain conveyance being designed by Lunar Outpost (Lunar Outpost/Lockheed Martin)
NASA said nan institution that yet wins nan LTV services statement will get to deploy their vehicle commercially connected nan satellite erstwhile nan abstraction agency isn’t utilizing it.
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Over 5 decades person elapses since U.S. astronauts were past connected nan moon. For nan U.S.’s first crewed satellite landing successful 1969, immoderate 650 cardinal group watched globally.
