NASA released plans to choose a second space venture firm to build a second landing system capable of ferrying astronauts to-and-from the moon.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson introduced the new program, known as the Sustaining Lunar Development contract or NextSTEP Appendix P.
“I promised competition, so here it is,” he told reporters.
“We expect approximately one human landing per year, over a decade or so, and these are not isolated missions,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said today. “Each is going to build on the past progress. And all of that is, of course, in preparation for us to have the first human mission to Mars late in the 2030s or early 2040s.”
The program is projecting that the second wave of lunar landing systems could go into service in the 2026-2027 timeframe. And would be tested with an uncrewed mission to start.
Space-work in progress
SpaceX is meeting its milestones in the lunar Starship construction. It is on a separate contract and won’t be eligible for Option B bids. The SpaceX- NASA enhanced contract to upgrade the initial landing system was awarded under Option A.
