Will NASA go back to moon?
Many doubt new lunar shot can get off ground
Fifty years ago, a Saturn V rocket stood at Kennedy Space Center, the towering result of a multibillion-dollar development process, hundreds of thousands of workers and years of planning.
Today, there is no launch vehicle piercing the horizon at Florida’s spaceport capable of taking humans back to the lunar surface. But despite the lack of a similar “iterative” process – Apollo was built on the foundations of the Mercury and Gemini programs, after all – NASA has been tasked with returning humans to the lunar surface by 2024.
Since 2017, the agency has been working to bring this Artemis program to reality, an effort that would involve its custom-built Space Launch System rocket, a platform orbiting the moon known as “Gateway,” and a lunar lander system to take people to the surface. Eventually, NASA hopes developments made along the way will help astronauts reach Mars.
Vice President Mike Pence, chairing a
National Space Council meeting in March, announced the 2024 goal and an intent to pursue it “by any means necessary.” Since then, NASA has initiated a whirlwind of appearances, conferences and meetings with key figures to speed up the process to meet the challenge.
The approach differs from Apollo, at least technically, in that it involves a continuing presence on the moon beyond the 2024 landing. According to NASA’s long-term vision, humans would again return in 2028 to stay, using available resources such as water ice locked in the south pole, which can be converted into rocket fuel for trips to the red planet.
One other difference: NASA is hoping industry will provide at least some the hardware needed to return to the moon.
Since Apollo, commercial spaceflight has seen noticeable growth, especially in the last decade. Now, heavy-lift vehicles operated solely by companies launch from former Apollo pads; billionaires help fund the development of rockets and satellite constellations; and more and more companies are taking over former government-built spaceflight facilities.
NASA is banking on being able to partner with these companies to help lower costs and make Artemis happen within five years.
But there are doubts. NASA’s projects, such as SLS, now over-budget and years behind schedule, are seen by some as inflexible and helping to drive costs and delays. There’s also the question of money – is Congress willing to divert $20 to $30 billion to the Artemis program through 2024?
The process
The leaders of today’s Artemis program hope to leverage commercial experience and capabilities to speed up the process, help with development and avoid many of the complexities of federal government contracts. That means procurement procedures for