NASA is set to announce the company chosen to develop a sustainable human landing system for the Artemis V Moon mission. The highly anticipated announcement will take place on Friday, May 19, at 10 a.m. EDT at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. This selection is a crucial step in NASA’s ambitious plans to return humans to the Moon as part of the Artemis program.
The human landing system will play a pivotal role in transporting astronauts to and from the Gateway, a lunar orbiting outpost, and the Moon’s surface. This will facilitate scientific exploration, research, and inspiration during NASA’s ambitious return to the Moon.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, along with Jim Free, Associate Administrator of the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, and Lisa Watson-Morgan, Manager of the Human Landing System Program, will be present at the announcement. The event will be broadcasted live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s official website.
Soon, we’ll announce the company selected to develop the landing system for the #Artemis V Moon mission, which will take astronauts from lunar orbit to the surface and back. Tune in Friday, May 19 at 10am ET (1400 UTC): https://t.co/oWvuSg9vn8 pic.twitter.com/fDD6q918tC
— NASA (@NASA) May 16, 2023
NASA’s collaboration with industry partners is crucial in the development, testing, and launch of innovative and technologically advanced landers for the Artemis Generation. The second company to be selected will be responsible for designing, developing, testing, and evaluating a human landing system under the Next-STEP Appendix P broad agency announcement, which aims to sustain lunar development. SpaceX is already working with NASA to develop landers for the Artemis III and Artemis IV missions.
The Artemis program represents an important milestone for NASA, as it aims to land the first woman and the first person of color on the lunar surface. Beyond that, it is laying the foundation for long-term exploration, scientific discoveries, and the eventual human missions to Mars. NASA’s Space Launch System rocket, Orion spacecraft, advanced spacesuits, and the lunar spaceship Gateway are critical components of this ambitious endeavor into deep space exploration.
This announcement marks a significant milestone in NASA’s Artemis program and brings humanity one step closer to returning to the Moon and expanding our understanding of the cosmos.