NASA selected SpaceX to deliver on Wednesday the first two segments of the lunar orbiting space station Lunar Gateway, the second high-profile contract the government agency awarded to the private aerospace manufacturer this week.
During the recently announced flight, which is scheduled to take place “not earlier” than May 2024, a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will launch the first two items of the planned outpost as an integrated payload that will include Gateway’s propulsion and power element (PPE) and its housing and logistics site (HALO).
The Gateway space station, which will be about one-sixth the size of the International Space Station, is being planned as an extension of NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to “support research, crew and expeditions to the lunar surface “.
Although NASA had originally planned to launch the PPE and HALO segments separately on two different rockets, the agency’s inspector general wrote in a report released last year that he had decided to launch the two segments together in an effort. to reduce costs. Although initially concerned that the combined payload could be too heavy for commercially available rockets, a NASA spokeswoman confirmed that The Verge that Falcon Heavy had met all of the agency’s performance requirements.
Tapparently the mission is set to it cost NASA $ 331.8 million, more than triple the price of a separate contract the agency awarded SpaceX earlier this week. throw its SPHEREx astrophysical mission.
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Once the Gateway is established, there is a service module that includes key life support elements, included oxygen, water, electricity and temperature controls – will be put in place during The second flight planned by NASA for its new megarocket, the Space launch system (SLS). This mission, known as Artemis 2, will be the first manned mission among the Artemis programs.