US plans moon train and railway to transport people across the moon’s surface
An INCREDIBLE railway network could soon be built on the moon that would help humanity thrive on the surface.
The proposed rail system, supported by the US Department of Defense, would be able to do this transport both people and supplies.
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The ‘moon railway’, designed by aerospace giant Northrop Grumman, hopes to enable serious and sustainable economic development on the moon.
Company representatives said, “The envisioned lunar railway network could transport people, supplies, and assets across the lunar surface for commercial ventures – contributing to a space economy for the United States and international partners.”
Northrop Grumman was one of 14 companies selected in December by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to participate in its Luna-10 study, which aims to rapidly create new technology ideas that could benefit humanity will help expand its economic footprint into deep space.
The company said it will contribute to the research by determining the resources needed to build a lunar railway network, developing a list of costs and risks, and identifying prototypes and analyzes of an operational lunar railway system.
More about the space race between the US and China
It will also, in Northrop Grumman’s words, “explore concepts for constructing and operating the system with robotics, including grading and foundation preparation, track placement and alignment, splicing and finishing, inspection, maintenance and repair.”
Northrop Grumman did not provide details of the funding, although DARPA provided an estimate last August, saying selected studies “will receive an award for other transactions not to exceed $1,000,000 (£788,000)”.
Among the other companies selected by DARPA to participate in the Luna-10 study are Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin.
DARPA has not yet revealed what their contributions will be.
The US agency said in December that the study “aims to catalyze the design of a future civilian lunar framework for peaceful US and international use.”
It added: “LunA-10 seeks to study the rapid development of technology concepts for a range of shareable, scalable systems that can operate together, creating revenue-generating services for future lunar users.”
Dr. Michael Nayak, the program manager at DARPA’s Strategic Technology Office, said the study has the potential to “upend the way the civilian space community thinks about encouraging widespread commercial activity on and around the moon.” next one 10 years.
He said the companies chosen in the survey vary in size, and some are domestic while others are international.
Each company is expected to bring “a clear vision and a technically rigorous plan” to quickly move DARPA toward its goal of creating a self-sustaining, commercially managed lunar infrastructure.
The companies will reveal more details about their work to the lunar community next month at the Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium.
According to DARPA, they will submit a final report in June.
It comes after the US staked its claim on the moon’s south pole last month when it successfully landed its plane named Odysseus.
The major development brought the White House one step closer to securing a permanent base on the moon.
Longtime NASA administrator Bill Nelson has viewed China as the most capable adversary to get boots on the moon by the end of this decade — though building sustainable infrastructure where humans can survive off-planet may be a trickier task.
The US and China believe the moon’s mysterious south pole is the most feasible location for a permanent moon base.
After a fiery failure and a botched landing, the US’s third lunar robot is set to roll onto the launch pad in 2024.
NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover – known as VIPER – will begin its journey to the moon later this year.
VIPER project manager Dan Andrews said this month: “All VIPER flight instruments are installed and the rover is more than 80% built!”
“This is a major achievement and shows the great progress being made by the dedicated VIPER team, who are excited to see the rover come together.”
VIPER will land near the moon’s south pole with the mission to search for water-based ice and other resources to aid future astronauts on the Artemis III mission, set to launch in 2026.
India became the first country to successfully land a spacecraft on the moon’s south pole in August last year.
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NASA’s Artemis Moon Mission – Key Facts
NASA’s Artemis Moon Mission – Key Facts
- NASA has promised to land humans on the moon by 2024
- The mission, called Artemis, will be the first time astronauts have set foot on the moon’s surface since 1972.
- A giant NASA rocket called the Space Launch System will take astronauts beyond Earth’s atmosphere
- Once on the moon, two astronauts will descend to the surface from an orbiting spacecraft called the Lunar Gateway
- NASA has promised that one of the landing crew will be a woman, marking the first time a woman has set foot on the moon
- The pair would land on the moon’s south pole, where vast reserves of frozen water could be tapped for future explorers
- The landing system that brought the astronauts to the surface then blasts back to the orbiting Gateway satellite
- They board an Orion capsule for the 250,000-mile journey back to Earth
- NASA must overcome a mountain of technical challenges before Artemis gets the green light
- It’s still not clear whether everything will be ready in time for the ambitious 2024 launch date
- NASA boss Jim Bridenstine has said the moon will serve as a crucial training ground for Mars expeditions, perhaps in the 2030s