NASA is ready to begin its permanent human lunar mission. Before astronauts return to the surface of the moon, the U.S. Space agency plans to send robots and equipment to the lunar surface to perform groundwork. The newest suite of contracts for robotic systems, a cargo lander, and drones are designed to traverse difficult terrain, deliver cargo, scout out inaccessible areas with cameras, and map out potential landing zones for the Artemis crews expected on the moon in the coming years.
The contracts represent some of the largest players in the emerging space industry, with Astrolab reportedly receiving a $219 million contract and Lunar Outpost a $220 million award for lunar terrain vehicles that can be driven remotely or by astronauts depending on mission goals and terrain.
Jeff Bezos’s company, Blue Origin, will deliver both vehicles via its Blue Moon Mark 1 cargo lander for a $188 million fee, and shows NASA increasingly relying on the commercial space industry to both decrease costs and speed up mission objectives.
One of the novel components to NASA’s new mission include aerial surveys conducted from a part of the plan named MoonFall where four drones will make brief forays across the surface, mapping areas rovers won’t easily reach, and collecting information intended to decrease risk for landings later on. Firefly Aerospace will deliver the drones, with an expected 2028 launch.
The main goal of sending the equipment is to do so before the next crewed landing, with the current plans for Artemis III not expected to carry humans until 2028 at the earliest due to the need to test a dock between the Orion capsule and lunar vehicles first.
The overall roadmap is for the long haul: in the early phases robotic systems and terrain mobility will be tested, before permanent infrastructure starts going up starting in 2029, including a power system for the base and by the 2030s, astronauts will begin staying for longer duration missions.
The U.S. Space agency sees the moon as the next stepping stone for space economics, science and missions into Mars, instead of just a quick return to a place previously visited. The plan intends to slowly build toward living and working on worlds beyond Earth rather than merely traveling to them.
This gradual, robot-led approach is the direct result of years spent with robots exploring Mars, which has shown autonomous machines to be able to scout and test terrain before humans are sent, reducing both risk and cost compared to manned-missions. If the plan is successful, it will undoubtedly transform how humankind ventures into space; no longer just to visit, but to stay.
