Through the public-private partnerships enabled by the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships - 2 (NextSTEP-2) Broad Agency Announcement, NASA has selected six U.S. companies to help advance the Journey to Mars by developing ground prototypes and concepts for a deep space habitat around the Moon. These companies are:
This round of NextSTEP selections are part of a phased approach that will catalyze commercial investment in low-Earth orbit and lead to an operational deep space habitation capability for missions in the area of space near the moon, which will serve as the staging point for human lunar surface missions as well as a proving ground for Mars during the 2020s. These missions will demonstrate human, robotic and spacecraft operations in a true deep space environment that's still relatively close to Earth and validate technologies for the longer journey to Mars.
The ground prototypes will be used for three primary purposes: supporting integrated systems testing, human factors and operations testing, and to help define overall system functionality. These are important activities as they help define the design standards, common interfaces, and requirements while reducing risks for the final flight systems that will come after this phase. Additionally, each of the contractors shall identify and implement risk reduction activities associated with their concepts.
Rather than a ground demonstration, the NanoRacks contract included a feasibility study of using robots in space to transform an upper stage rocket into a habitable volume.
Following that study, the company is now planning and executing a small attached payload in space to perform a technology demonstrate to robotically cut metal in space. This effort can help NASA and industry create a key capability that may be needed for launch vehicle transformation.
Northrop Grumman's concept for their small habitat was selected to be the first habitable element of the Gateway and is currently under a new contract being managed by the Gateway Program Office at JSC.
Boeing, Bigelow, Lockheed Martin and Sierra Nevada have continued to refine their habitation concepts and have also assessed the changes required to provide habitation on the lunar surface as well as providing habitation for a 2-3 year mission to Mars.
Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Sierra Nevada are focusing on risk reduction areas to mitigate habitat development risks. These activities include mass reduction activities and structural testing.
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