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The Destination: Lunar Surface
Once we arrive at the Gateway, we can begin to explore the surface of the Moon with a reusable crewed lunar lander.
We're proud to be working with Blue Origin and others on the Human Landing System. Our experience with robotic exploration has been used to explore every planet in the solar system, and will be key to enabling even more exploration with the Moon's future state.
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NASA’s Gateway concept has been adopted by the international community and is the space port to promote sustainable lunar operations and develop extended international partnerships. Serving as the main hub, the Gateway will provide a place to both live and work and is flexible to support multiple missions. First, this orbiting port will be the communications hub for explorers because they will need high-speed communications relays, imagery and mapping, and navigation help from lunar orbit. The Gateway can perform all of those functions from the high-ground vantage point and by utilizing low-cost hosted payloads rather than a full network of lunar satellites.
In addition to communications, the Gateway will be a future fuel depot that will provide the springboard needed to get tomorrow’s space economy off the ground. Spacecraft can fuel-up for missions between the Earth and the Moon without having to land on the surface — and ultimately longer-duration missions to destinations like Mars.
Moon to Mars
IAC 2019
The Infrastructure: Gateway
The Workhorse: Orion
The Future:
Mars & Beyond
Travel to the Moon is only the beginning. NASA's Artemis missions will serve as the proving ground for the next part of the journey: travel to Mars!
Our vision for humanity's first interplanetary voyage to Mars uses an orbiter model — similar to the Gateway — called Mars Base Camp. This will give astronauts a home away from Earth and a platform for conducting critical Mars science and landing site selections.
When astronauts are ready to descend to the surface, they can get there using a reusable, single stage lander and supersonic retropropulsion.
Mars is closer than you think ...
We're ready to accelerate the journey.
NASA’s Orion is the world’s only exploration-class spacecraft, designed and built to protect astronauts from the dangers of deep space.
Orion is currently in production for six more missions — including the 2024 mission that will carry the first woman and next man to the Moon — and could potentially support as many as 12 Artemis missions.
Unlike other human spaceflight vehicles, Orion is designed with the advanced technologies needed to thrive in space beyond low-Earth orbit.
Orion is equipped with systems such as long-duration life support, deep space navigation, radiation protection, deep space communications and a robust heat shield capable of Mars-return velocities.
Orion can also serve as the exploration command deck for when the Gateway is crewed. Built on a robust, fault-tolerant design and capable avionics system, Orion can provide the safe control and necessary interfaces for crew to perform a variety of missions. Should an anomaly occur while in lunar orbit, the crew can also use Orion as a safe haven while they work to resolve the issue or safely return to Earth. The investments already made in Orion can be leveraged to reduce the cost, complexity and development timeline for the Gateway.
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McCandless Lunar Lander Guide.
Crewed Lunar Landing Mission Campaign from the Gateway
Before the first humans can travel to Mars, we'll need a proving ground in space. Enter "The Gateway" — a space port where astronauts will be able to perform revolutionary science, establish a lunar commercial economy, and build and test the system elements to get us to other destinations such as the surface of the Moon, Mars and beyond.
Once we arrive at the Gateway, we can begin to explore the surface of the Moon with a reusable crewed lunar lander.
Our experience with robotic exploration has been used to explore every planet in the solar system, and will be key to enabling even more exploration with the Moon's future state.
The McCandless Lunar Lander is poised to take commercial payloads to the Moon right now. The Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) missions will be critical to reducing risk through reconnaissance and technology demonstrations for future human exploration missions on the lunar surface in 2024.
The McCandless Lunar Lander is poised to take commercial payloads to the Moon right now. The Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) missions will be critical to reducing risk through reconnaissance and technology demonstrations for future human exploration missions on the lunar surface in 2024.
