On October 14th, NASA announced on the 14th that it would invest US$370 million in cooperation with 14 American companies to develop technologies for storing ultra-low temperature liquid fuels to help astronauts return to the moon.
According to NASA’s official website, the agency will cooperate with Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), Space Robotics (Astrobotic), Lockheed Martin, United Launch Alliance (ULA), Intuitive Machines, etc. 14 companies signed 15 contracts. NASA expects the investment of this cooperation to be 370 million U.S. dollars, of which nearly 70% will be used to develop storage technologies for ultra-low temperature liquid fuels such as liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.
Eta Space, Lockheed Martin, Space Exploration Technologies and United Launch Alliance will be responsible for the development of this technology.
NASA officials said that a key goal of the US new moon landing program "Artemis" is to develop this technology. It is essential for the establishment of a sustainable lunar base and the realization of Mars landing missions.
According to a report from the science and technology media "Space" website, the development of this technology will help fuel the spacecraft in Earth orbit, so that the spacecraft will have sufficient fuel to fly to Mars. At present, the problems that scientists need to solve include how to store ultra-low temperature liquid fuel for a long time, and how to transfer propellant between fuel tanks.
According to the Associated Press, NASA officials said that the agency’s Space Technology Mission Council will negotiate with these 14 companies, with an expected contract period of five years.
It is worth noting that NASA recently announced the latest arrangements for the "Artemis" moon landing plan: the return to the moon will be realized in three steps, an unmanned flight will be carried out in November 2021, and an astronaut will start to fly around the moon in 2023. In 2024, astronauts will return to the moon and stay for a week to perform 2 to 5 "extravehicular activities". The entire mission will cost $28 billion.