WASHINGTON \u2014 In-space transportation company Impulse Space says it plans to develop a lunar lander to fill what it sees as a gap in missions to the moon.<\/p>\n
The company announced Oct. 14 that it is developing a lunar cargo delivery system capable of transporting three metric tons of cargo to the lunar surface starting in 2028.<\/p>\n
The concept combines the company\u2019s Helios transfer vehicle with a new lander Impulse will design. Helios would transport the lander from low Earth orbit to low lunar orbit in about a week, after which the lander would descend to the lunar surface.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, there\u2019s a critical gap in lunar cargo delivery capabilities for payloads in a midsized (0.5-13 tons) range,\u201d Tom Mueller, Impulse Space\u2019s founder and chief executive, said in a statement. Landers developed by companies in NASA\u2019s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program can deliver up to half a ton to the moon, while SpaceX\u2019s Starship and Blue Origin\u2019s Blue Moon Mark 2 lander, being developed for NASA\u2019s Human Landing System program, can carry much larger payloads.<\/p>\n
Landers in that middle range, he said, could support development of lunar infrastructure such as habitation modules and power systems. \u201cWe need landers capable of near-term, multi-ton cargo deliveries in order to rapidly build out a sustainable lunar presence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mueller said Impulse\u2019s approach relies on flight-proven systems, starting with existing launch vehicles that can place Helios and the lander into low Earth orbit. The first Helios mission is planned for late 2026, and by the time the lander is ready in 2028, the company expects to be flying \u201cmultiple\u201d Helios missions a year.<\/p>\n
The lander will use components and subsystems developed for other Impulse spacecraft, including an engine that uses technology similar to the Saiph thrusters on its Mira spacecraft. Both systems use the same storable propellants: nitrous oxide and ethane.<\/p>\n
Impulse did not disclose the cost of developing the lander or the price it will charge for missions, but said it plans to offer a \u201ccost-effective price point\u201d and expects to fly two missions a year.<\/p>\n
The lunar transportation niche Impulse hopes to occupy is not without competition. Blue Origin\u2019s Blue Moon Mark 1 lander, set to make its first flight as soon as the end of this year, is capable of placing up to three metric tons on the lunar surface launching on a New Glenn rocket. NASA announced last month that it selected the lander to carry its VIPER rover to the moon on the vehicle\u2019s second mission<\/a>, expected in 2027.<\/p>\n