As SpaceX prepares for its sixth major test flight of the Starship spacecraft, NASA has laid out its long-term vision for the upcoming generation of SpaceX vehicles. The company is currently working on a human lunar lander intended for use alongside Blue Origin’s lander to transport astronauts to the Moon as part of the Artemis program.
However, it’s not just astronauts that NASA plans to send with these new vehicles. The agency revealed today that it also aims to utilize these spacecraft to deliver cargo such as tools and essential infrastructure to the lunar surface.
“NASA is planning for both crewed missions and future service missions to the Moon beyond Artemis V,” stated Stephen D. Creech, the assistant deputy associate administrator for technical programs at NASA’s Moon to Mars Program Office. “The Artemis initiative is a cooperative effort involving international and industry partners. Having two lunar lander providers with distinct methodologies for transporting both crew and cargo allows us flexibility in mission planning while maintaining a steady schedule of Moon landings for ongoing discovery and scientific exploration.”
For NASA to realize its ambitious dreams of establishing a moon base where astronauts can reside for extended periods, substantial infrastructure needs to be built on the lunar surface. This includes habitats, water filtration systems, and scientific research facilities.
The current strategy involves at least two cargo missions aimed at delivering key equipment, including a pressurized rover via the SpaceX Starship cargo lander and a habitat through Blue Origin’s Blue Moon lander. These missions will serve as a preliminary test to ascertain the landers’ capabilities for future crewed journeys.
“Considering the ongoing design and development phases of both the crew and cargo landers, along with the Artemis mission timelines for crewed versions, NASA has assigned SpaceX a pressurized rover mission and Blue Origin the task of delivering a lunar habitat,” added Lisa Watson-Morgan, NASA program manager for the Human Landing System. “These substantial cargo lander demonstration missions will help us leverage our resources and technical knowledge as we prepare for further deep space exploration.”
Both SpaceX and Blue Origin are advancing their lander projects, with SpaceX planning to modify its currently tested Starship for this mission. The timeline suggests that the Starship will deliver the rover to the Moon in 2032, while Blue Moon is scheduled to transport the habitat in 2033.
