Nearly a year after the launch of the first lunar orbiter house building service on the moon, NASA's Artemis spacecraft is preparing to build long-term settlements on the surface of the moons. As they prepare, the agency has awarded the Austin-based construction company Icon $57.2 million for the development of a construction system for buildings on the moon. It is hoped that the system will be operational by November 2024.
Awards NASA Awards Austin-based Icon $57.2 million for development of building system to build structures on the moon
Earlier this year, Icon was awarded a $57.2 million contract to develop a construction system to build structures on the moon. This award is part of the NASAS Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, which funds the development of technology for federal needs.
The contract is part of NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the moon by 2024 and establish a sustainable human presence on the moon by 2028.
Icon is developing Project Olympus, a multipurpose building system that will use resources found on the Martian and lunar surfaces. It will be an automated, computer-aided design approach for creating three-dimensional structures.
NASA's Artemis program is building long-term settlements on the surface of the moons
Known as the Artemis program, NASAS's mission is to develop a lunar settlement and provide a platform for private companies to build the lunar economy. This program is one of the first large-scale collaborations between NASA and private companies. Its goals include scientific research on the moon, building an infrastructure for cislunar economic activity, and developing technologies for human exploration.
The Artemis program is scheduled for four manned missions and will send humans to the moon in the 2024-2026 time frame. Each mission is targeted for no earlier than 2025 and will involve a landing of landers and capsules on the lunar surface.
Prospectors would like to do something similar on the moon
Whether or not you believe NASA has plans to send humans to the moon in the next decade, preparations for lunar life are well underway. The latest craze is mining the moon for water and oxygen, which could provide drinking water for potential manned lunar outposts.
The Apollo 11 moon landing missions were the first time humans had risen to the top of another planets surface, but the space agency hasn't been shy about its plans for future exploration. It's been a long time since we've been there, and NASA aims to make another manned moon landing as early as 2024.
NASA must extract water from the regolith of the moons
During the Apollo missions, scientists collected samples from the equator of moons. But when the moon was in flux, asteroids hit the surface. The atmosphere of moons is mostly hydrogen. We would have to break the oxygen bonds in minerals to create water.
The most popular method of extracting oxygen from the Regolith of the moons is through the use of solar panels and batteries. But if one were to survive without sunlight, nuclear fission reactors or fuel cells could also be viable options.
Another process, called hydrogen reduction, is a long-proposed solution to the problem of extracting water from lunar rocks. This process has been tested in laboratory environments on Earth, but has not yet been verified on the lunar surface.
NASA is targeting a November 2024 launch for the integrated spacecraft
Despite years of delays, NASA aims to send an Integrated Home-Building Service spacecraft to the moon in November 2024. This will mark the first time humans have walked the lunar surface in nearly 50 years. In addition to returning astronauts to the moon, this mission will also pave the way for a permanent human presence on the moon.
As the first part of this new integrated home building services spacecraft, the Power and Propulsion Element (DPI) will be launched on a commercial rocket. This module will orbit the moon using solar energy and plasma thrusters. It will also include a resupply module provided by the European Space Agency.