Monica Jackson
Lockheed Martin has introduced at the International Astronautical Congress a reusable lunar lander concept intended to support crewed missions on the moon and future expeditions to Mars.
The company said Wednesday the proposed lander would accommodate a four-member crew and carry up to 2K pounds of cargo on the lunar surface for a maximum of two weeks before it would return to the NASA’s Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway outpost for refueling or servicing services.
The platform will be equipped with avionics, life support, communications and navigation systems used on the Orion spacecraft.
Lisa Callahan, vice president and general manager of commercial civil space at Lockheed, said the lander concept could be used to stand up a surface base, carry various cargo and initiate studies about the moon.
The company intends for the reusable lander and the Gateway output to help advance research on future crewed missions to the red planet.
Lockheed introduced last year its Mars Ascent Descent Vehicle concept, which the company designed to carry four astronauts to the red planet then travel to a Martian base camp to refuel and prepare for other missions.
