On NASA's Sharply Increased Need to Deliver Cargo to the Moon

NASA has big plans for the Moon. As part of Artemis programs NASA plans to create a program for “sustainable exploration and development of the Moon.” This would include the creation of the Lunar Gateway, an orbital habitat that would facilitate flights to and from the surface, as well as a base camp. Artemis Base Campwhich will allow for a long stay. As part of the program Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) NASA has contracts with commercial partners such as SpaceX and Blue Origin to deliver scientific experiments and crews to the lunar surface.

However, these efforts are expected to lead to a permanent outpost and human presence on the Moon. This will require much more crew and payload services to ensure their long-term survival. In a recently published technical paper, Cargo for the Lunar Surface, NASA researchers identified a significant gap between current cargo delivery capabilities and future demand. The paper suggests that the growing demand for cargo can only be met by creating a “mixed fleet of cargo landers.”

Main conclusions

As the authors of the article point out, in the NASA document “Definition of the Project Architecture”Moon – Mars»” (ADD) (Revision A) addresses the need for a broad range of landing systems. Section 3 (subsection 1.4.8.4) of the ADD addresses the CLPS program and the need for cargo landing vehicles as part of the broader topic of transportation systems:

“Exploration of the lunar surface will require the delivery of assets, equipment, and supplies to the lunar surface. While some supplies and equipment can be delivered with the crew to the HLS, cargo landers provide additional flexibility and capability for active exploration. In the HLR segment of the exploration campaign, additional cargo delivery can be provided by NASA's CLPS provider landers.”

To date, NASA has selected fourteen companies to deliver payloads for the Human Lunar Return (HLR) segment. These include SpaceX, Blue Origin, Ceres Robotics, Sierra Nevada Corporation, and Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, which were selected in November 2019 to deliver crew and cargo. In addition, nine more companies have been awarded contracts to conduct science experiments in 2018 and 2022, including Firefly Aerospace, Intuitive Machines, Lockheed Martin Space, Moon Express, and Astrobotic, the first commercial provider to launch a mission to the Moon (Peregrine-1), which unfortunately did not land on the lunar surface.

However, as the Artemis program transitions from HLR to other segments, the need for cargo delivery will increase dramatically. As outlined in the ADD, this will include the Foundational Exploration (FE) segment, which will coincide with Artemis IV and Artemis V (currently planned for 2028 and 2030, respectively) and will consist of expanding NASA's “lunar capabilities, systems, and operations that support complex orbital and surface missions.” After Artemis VI in 2031, NASA plans to send one crew to the Moon per year.

At this point the segment will begin Sustained Lunar Evolution (SLE), consisting of “capabilities, systems, and operations to support regional and global use (science, etc.), economic opportunities, and a sustainable human presence on and around the Moon.”

Growing demand

To assess the growing need for lunar landers and transportation systems, NASA analyzed a representative sample of planned Artemis payloads and potential requirements. These requirements are again segmented, with each sample represented by a potential mass range (see table below). They also include one-time payloads for habitation, mobility, power, and communications systems, freezers, various science and technology payloads, and periodic logistics missions that would include food, water, air, spare parts, and other essentials.

The authors note that the initial crewed missions on the HLS starships (Artemis III and IV) will be short-duration, so the landers will be able to carry the necessary supplies. However, future missions will require additional surface elements to support longer missions, exploration range, and crew size. For example, as the human return segment to Earth transitions to fundamental exploration, the planned and potential payloads in the sample reflect these evolving needs.

An example would be delivery. lunar vehicle (LMV), vertical solar array technologies, lunar surface mobile repeater, IP mobility systems, rover “Endurance”a freezer for sample return and a reactor Fission Surface Power (FSP) (NASA extension project Kilopower). These payloads will enable extravehicular activity (EVA), provide power and communications for the future habitat, and conduct sample return missions from the South Pole-Aitken basin.

Additionally, NASA is awaiting delivery of the elements that will make up the Artemis Base Camp. This includes the pressurized rover, also known as the Habitable Mobility Platform (HMP), and the initial surface habitat, the Lunar Foundation Surface Habitat (LFSH), which will eventually be used to establish regular surface habitats. They are also considering the logistical requirements for two-person crews operating the HMP and four-person crews operating the LFSH. The Sustainable Lunar Evolution segment will handle deliveries related to the establishment of the ISRU pilot facility, as well as ongoing logistical needs.

Overall, NASA projects future cargo requirements to be between 2,500 and 10,000 kg per year for annual periodic logistics. They also project that during the Deep Exploration campaign, there will occasionally be large cargo deliveries (rovers or habitat modules) of up to 15,000 kg. The technical paper “Lunar Mobility Drivers and Requirements,” part of the Moon to Mars 2024 Architecture series, provides a detailed description of the logistics requirements.

Possibilities

In terms of current payload delivery capabilities, the authors note NASA’s collaboration with private industry and international partners. These include the CLPS, HLS, and Human-class Delivery Landers (HDL) programs, which are responsible for developing crew and cargo landers. Meanwhile, international partners such as the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) are collaborating on potential cargo delivery services. As they demonstrate, small payloads of up to 500 kg (1,100 lb) that would support logistics in the SLE segment are within the capabilities of the CLPS program.

The heavier payloads, which include the Artemis Base Camp elements, range from 12,000 to 15,000 kg, which is within the capabilities of the HDL program. This leaves a gap between 500 kg and 12,000 kg, which accounts for the vast majority of the required payloads in the FE segment. These payloads are the foundation for NASA's long-term plans for a “sustainable lunar exploration and development” program. Therefore, the demand for these elements and the associated support services is high.

Additional considerations

In addition to delivering cargo, the landers must provide access to various locations in the South Pole-Aitken basin that meet the mission's objectives. Specific locations named include Hawthorn Crater, the summit near Shackleton Crater, the rim of Faustini Crater, De Gerlache Crater, Malapert Mastiff, and the ridges that connect them, covering an area of ​​about 500 km2 (310 mi2). These locations are key for solar panels, ice harvesting, and transportation networks.

NASA also identified gaps in the lunar cargo and sample return space, where the capabilities of existing vehicles far exceed those of the return mission. To that end, the white paper recommends a range of cargo providers to provide diversity and flexibility. This approach takes into account “some key lessons learned from the International Space Station, including the need for diverse redundancy to avoid any one system becoming a single point of failure.”

In conclusion, NASA has identified a “significant architectural gap in lander capabilities” that will grow as the basic exploration segment continues and the lunar sustainable evolution phase progresses. But, as the experts note, this opens up significant opportunities for NASA and industry partners to build a mixed fleet of cargo landers that “meet cargo delivery needs, support longer missions, send more crew to the surface, and expand the exploration footprint.” This, they say, is necessary to achieve the goals of NASA’s Moon to Mars mission architecture.

Additional details regarding payload handling and transportation services are provided in a separate document, “Lunar Mobility Propulsion and Requirements,” released concurrently with the aforementioned document. These and other considerations will be further explored in the 2024 Architecture Concept Review (2024 ARC), scheduled to be released later this year. This review will include documents on NASA's lunar surface strategy and cargo return requirements.