NASA Seeks Proposals for Second Crewed Lunar Lander

pcmag.com:

As NASA prepares for regular visits to the Moon, the agency is seeking proposals for a second sustainable lunar lander to join SpaceX's Starship as part of the Artemis program.

The call went out on Friday(Opens in a new window)—nearly six months after NASA announced plans(Opens in a new window) for the Sustaining Lunar Development (SLD) competition—with a Nov. 15 deadline for entry and an expected May 2023 award announcement.

NASA's existing $2.89 billion contract with SpaceX includes uncrewed and crewed lunar landing demonstrations for the Artemis III mission, which will send the first woman and first person of color to the Moon no earlier than 2025.

The winning firm must demonstrate its lander can meet requirements for various trips to Earth's satellite, SpaceNews reports(Opens in a new window), including a 6.25-day visit by two astronauts, a 33-day mission carrying four astronauts, and short-stay cargo-transport assignments to regions other than the Moon's south pole.

"Work done under this solicitation, in addition to current lander development and studies taking place, will help build the foundation for long-term deep space exploration," Lisa Watson-Morgan, program manager for the Human Landing System Program at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, said in a statement. "Partnering with American companies to do that work now allows us to leverage NASA's knowledge and expertise to encourage technological innovations for a sustained presence at the Moon."

SpaceX's Space Launch System rocket is expected to carry four crew members aboard the Orion spacecraft for a multi-day journey to lunar orbit, where two people will transfer to the SpaceX human landing system (HLS) for the final leg of their journey to the Moon's