NASA advances plans for sustained lunar exploration with Artemis Cargo Landers
November 22, 2024
NASA is moving forward with its vision for sustained lunar exploration, announcing plans for at least two major cargo delivery missions as part of the Artemis programme. These missions will leverage Artemis Cargo Landers to transport large pieces of equipment and infrastructure to the Moon’s surface.
Under existing contracts, NASA has tasked industry partners, Blue Origin and SpaceX with expanding their lunar capabilities to include cargo versions. SpaceX’s Starship cargo lander is expected to deliver a pressurised rover, currently being developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to the moon no earlier than fiscal year 2032. Blue Origin’s cargo lander is slated to deliver a lunar surface habitat no earlier than fiscal year 2033.
These assignments build on a 2023 request for the two companies to develop cargo versions of their crewed human landing systems, now in development for Artemis III, Artemis IV and Artemis V. Beyond these missions, NASA envisions a future where both crewed missions and future service missions will establish a sustained presence on the Moon.
“The Artemis campaign is a collaborative effort with international and industry partners,” explained Stephen D. Creech, assistant deputy associate administrator for technical, moon to Mars Programme Office. “Having two lunar lander providers with different approaches for crew and cargo landing capability provides mission flexibility while ensuring a regular cadence of Moon landings for continued discovery and scientific opportunity,” he continued.
The Artemis campaign, a cornerstone of NASA’s Human Landing System Programme, aims to explore more of the Moon than ever before. By learning how to live and work on the lunar surface, NASA and its partners hope to lay the groundwork for future exploration and human missions to Mars.
