Brenda Marie Rivers
An industry team led by Leidos’ Dynetics business has submitted its proposal for a human landing system that will support NASA’s Artemis mission to the moon slated for 2024.
The team, including Sierra Nevada Corp., Maxar Technologies, Oceaneering and Paragon Space Development, delivered its Option A HLS proposal to NASA after conducting a 10-month continuation review, Dynetics said Wednesday.
Dynetics noted that it informed NASA of the landing system’s software and hardware components as well as mission plans, early design strategy and testing operations.
During the assessment, the team worked to address mission-specific concerns such as the interaction between lunar regolith and spacecraft engines, cabin airflow and air revitalization system design. Dynetics also tested the lander's reaction control system engines to study their capacity to operate in flight-like conditions.
Kim Doering, vice president of space systems at Dynetics, said the team’s technical data is meant to lay “a solid foundation†for sustainable and crew-centric human flights to the lunar surface.
Previously, Charles Stark Draper Laboratory provided a simulator to support initial human-in-the-loop testing of Dynetics’ HLS guidance technology, control software and navigation system.
Dynetics is continuing simultaneous assessments of the HLS engines at the company’s propulsion test facility and NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
In mid-2020, NASA awarded HLS design contracts totaling $967M to Dynetics, SpaceX and Blue Origin. The agency plans to make a decision on the Option A HLS early this year.
