NASA has announced a groundbreaking plan to establish a commercial delivery service to the moon, a crucial step towards advancing scientific research, exploration, and commercial development of our closest celestial neighbor. This initiative, known as the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), aims to revolutionize the way we explore and utilize the moon by partnering with private American companies to deliver a wide range of scientific and technological equipment to the lunar surface.
According to NASA, the CLPS program will enable a significant increase in the scope and complexity of scientific experiments and technology demonstrations on the moon. The agency has already identified 14 private companies that will be competing for contracts to deliver payloads to the lunar surface, with the first deliveries scheduled to take place in 2023.
One of the most exciting aspects of this initiative is the variety of payloads that will be delivered to the moon. NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER), built by Pennsylvania-based Astrobotic, will be the first to venture to the lunar South Pole next year. Massachusetts-based Draper will subsequently deliver science investigations to Schrödinger Basin, a massive lunar impact crater on the far side of the moon, in 2025.
NASA reveals Ambitious Plan for Commercial Moon Delivery Service
The CLPS program is not only an important step towards establishing a permanent human presence on the moon but also a key component of NASA’s broader Artemis program, which aims to send the first humans back to the moon in 2025 and eventually establish a lunar base. The agency believes that a commercial delivery service will significantly enhance its ability to conduct scientific research and technological development on the moon, ultimately paving the way for the establishment of a sustainable human presence on the lunar surface.
The CLPS program is expected to have far-reaching implications, not only for NASA’s lunar exploration efforts but also for future missions to other celestial destinations, such as Mars. NASA has already hinted at the possibility of establishing a similar commercial delivery service to Mars, which could potentially facilitate human exploration and settlement of the Red Planet in the 2030s.
NASA’s plan to establish a commercial delivery service to the moon represents a major milestone in the agency’s efforts to advance scientific research, exploration, and commercial development of our closest celestial neighbor. The CLPS program has the potential to significantly enhance our understanding of the moon and its resources, ultimately paving the way for the establishment of a permanent human presence on the lunar surface.
