NASA wants to fly astronauts to the Moon as part of its upcoming and ambitious Artemis program, and it has asked for three new spaceships from Lockheed Martin.
The company is currently constructing three more Artemis missions and has already delivered two of them. The company said on Thursday that the new batches of the spaceship are meant for Artemis 6 to 8. The next- generation crew module is designed to carry astronauts to the Moon and possibly other destinations in the future.
The order includes spacecraft, mission planning and support, and will take us into the 2030s, according to a statement from the vice president and general manager. On the eve of a historic launch kicking off the Artemis era, this contract shows NASA is making long-term plans towards living and working on the Moon, while also having a forward focus on getting humans to Mars.
Humans will return to the moon more than 50 years after Apollo. The Artemis 3 mission will attempt to land astronauts on the Moon no earlier than 25 years from now.
NASA has a contract with Lockheed Martin to build upwards of one dozen vehicles. NASA said in a statement that the contract includes a commitment to order at least six and a maximum of 12 spaceships. An additional $1.99 billion is being added to support Artemis missions 5 through 8 as a result of the space agency's order for the spaceship.
The first of the new generation of spaceships traveled through the Van Allen belt and reached an altitude of 3,600 miles.
The Artemis 1 mission, which was supposed to take place in November, has been delayed numerous times. The first mission of the lunar program is a test of the uncrewed spaceship as it travels to the Moon and back. The second and third spaceships are being assembled at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. There will be a crew on board, but they won't land on the moon. The job of Artemis 3 is to take astronauts on a trip to the moon and back.
Work on the Artemis 4 craft includes welding the pressure vessel together at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility near New Orleans, and work has already begun on the Artemis 5 vehicle.
NASA is doubling down on its commitment to the lunar program and building an impressive fleet as it awaits the launch of its debut Artemis mission.
There are ideas for a new lunar landers.
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