NASA Lunar Gateway Project Explained
The NASA Lunar Gateway project can be understood as an established infrastructure on the Moon for sustained lunar exploration and development. The project involves an orbiting habitat, allowing astronauts to take regular trips to the Moon - just like their trips to the International Space Station (ISS).
NASA announced that it had selected the Falcon Heavy rocket to launch the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) and the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO). This, the space agency plans to launch the mission by May 2024 at the earliest.
NASA further explained that once the Lunar Gateway is setup on the Moon, it will play a key role in communication. The PEE element will provide power (60KW), high-speed communication, attitude control, and also solar-electric propulsion capabilities.
SpaceX bags NASA contract to launch first few components of lunar gateway on Falcon Heavy
The deal has set NASA back by thrice the cost of the 2022 Falcon Heavy launch of a probe to study the asteroid Psyche.
Feb 10, 2021 13:16:46 IST
NASA announced Tuesday that SpaceX has been awarded an important contract to launch the first two pieces of the upcoming Lunar Gateway in 2024. SpaceX plans to use a modified version of its Falcon Heavy rocket to carry the massive core of the space station in the moon s direction. The $331.8 million contract includes the cost of the Falcon Heavy launch and some mission-related costs according to a NASA
SPACEX has been picked by NASA to launch the first elements of the US space agency s most ambitious project to date, the Lunar Gateway. The Gateway will play a key role in NASA s rapidly approaching lunar programme, Artemis.