| Manufacturer | Lockheed Martin |
|---|---|
| Designer | Lockheed Martin |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Operator | Proposed: Lockheed Martin / NASA |
| Applications | Reusable crewed lunar lander |
| Specifications | |
| Spacecraft type | Crewedlunar lander |
| Launch mass | 62 metric tons[1] |
| Dry mass | 22 metric tons[1][2] |
| Payload capacity | 1,000 kg (2,200 lb)[1] |
| Crew capacity | 4[1][3] |
| Dimensions | Height: 14 m (46 ft)[1][2] |
| Design life | ≈ 10 flights[1][2] |
| Production | |
| Status | Proposed |
| Related spacecraft | |
| Flown with | Proposed:Lunar Gateway |
TheLockheed Martin Lunar Lander is a series of design concepts byLockheed Martin for a crewed lunar lander.
The first proposal,Mars-Precursor Lunar Lander[1] is a reusable crewed lunar lander first unveiled in October 2018, and it is being proposed toNASA for funding and fabrication. NASA specified that it would wait until 2024 to decide the date and method for a crewed lunar lander, and have hinted at seeking a crewed lander no heavier than 6 t (13,000 lb).[2] The reusable lander would enable sustainable lunar surface exploration. The second proposal, revealed on 10 April 2019, is a 2-stage lander proposed to meet Vice PresidentMike Pence's challenge to return humans to the Moon by 2024,[4] which became theArtemis Program.
Both proposals are based onOrion spacecraft's hardware, and are designed to take astronauts from theLunar Gateway — a proposed habitat that NASA plans to build in orbit around theMoon — to the lunar surface and advance technology needed to exploreMars.
NASA did not select this design for theHuman Landing System component, but Lockheed Martin is providing the ascent portion of theIntegrated Lander Vehicle, which was selected as a second HLS provider.
In 2016, Lockheed Martin announced their architecture concepts for a crewed Mars mission and related vehicles that include theMars Base Camp (a crewed orbiting Mars station), theOrion spacecraft, and the Mars Ascent/Descent Vehicle (MADV).[1] Lockheed Martin hopes that the lunar activities will help develop precursor infrastructure and experience for a Mars expedition.[5][6] The crewed lunar lander, if built, would be used to develop the Mars MADV lander. The lunar lander concept was presented in October 2018, and it envisions a single-stage, fully reusable lander system capable of taking off to return to the orbitingLunar Gateway.[3]
The initial concept would accommodate a crew of four and approximately 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) of cargo payload on the surface for up to two weeks before returning to the Gateway without refueling on the surface.[3] After a surface mission, it would return to the Gateway, where it can be refueled, serviced, and then kept docked to the orbiting Gateway until the next surface mission. Because the Moon lacks an atmosphere, the lander would not have to endure the heat and ablation during atmospheric re-entry, which expands its service time and reduces significantly the labor and costs of refurbishment.[3] Many of its key systems, including the crew pressure vessel, avionics, life support, communications, controls, and navigation systems, were already developed for the newOrion spacecraft.[1][3]
The Mars-Precursor Lunar Lander would be a single-stage reusable vehicle able to transport a crew of 4, up to one ton (1,000 kg or 2,200 lb) of usable cargo, and operate for up to 2 weeks on the lunar surface before returning to the lunar orbiting Gateway for refuelling and service.[1][5] The lander would be able to land anywhere on the Moon, including the lunar poles as well as lower latitude sites on the lunar far side.[1] The vehicle's operational lifetime would be between 4 and 10 flights.[1][2]
The Mars-Precursor Lunar Lander would be 14 m (46 ft) tall, making it twice as tall as theApollo Lunar Module used during the Apollo missions.[2] It would have an elevator to get the crew down from the cabin to the surface.[2]
The lander concept envisions the use of the pressure vessel of theOrion spacecraft, and some of Orion's existing systems such as life support, controls, and some avionics, so Lockheed Martin officials think that construction time would be relatively short.[2] Its proposed four engines are a variant of theRL10 that uses the bi-propellantliquid oxygen /liquid hydrogen, generating an estimated impulse (delta-v) of 5 km/s (3.1 mi/s).[2][1][5]