NASA to announce a second Lunar lander partner for Moon Mission

NASA to announce a second Lunar lander partner for Moon Mission
by Staff Writers
Washington DC (SPX) May 17, 2023

On May 19, at 10 a.m. EDT, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will unveil the second industry partner to collaborate on its groundbreaking Artemis V Moon mission. This momentous announcement will be broadcasted from NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., and will reveal the chosen organization to design and build a sustainable human landing system for our return to lunar exploration.

NASA's ambitious Artemis V mission envisions a landing system capable of transporting astronauts from the lunar Gateway station to the Moon's surface and back. This development represents a significant stride in NASA's commitment to drive scientific discovery, inspire a new generation through space exploration, and lay groundwork for future Mars missions.

The event will be available for public viewing via NASA Television, the official NASA app, and NASA's website. For those working in the field, this is an opportunity not to be missed, as the announcement is set to reshape the landscape of lunar exploration.

The selection announcement will be presented by distinguished NASA officials: Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator; Jim Free, Associate Administrator of the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate; and Lisa Watson-Morgan, Manager of the Human Landing System Program at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

This industry partnership represents NASA's continued commitment to leverage the dynamism and innovation of private industry in its lunar exploration ambitions. The selected company will be tasked with the design, development, testing, and evaluation of the human landing system under the Next-STEP Appendix P broad agency announcement. This follows the ongoing collaboration with SpaceX to develop lunar landers for the Artemis III and IV missions.

The Artemis program symbolizes a new era of lunar exploration, with plans to land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon. The mission will also serve as a stepping stone for future human Mars missions. Combining the power of NASA's Space Launch System rocket, the Orion spacecraft, next-generation spacesuits, and the lunar spaceship Gateway, NASA continues to fortify its foundations for deep space exploration.