SpaceX is known for its excellent launch and landing, and now it has won another high-profile launch contract from NASA. The agency chose Elon Musk’s Rocket Company to send the initial parts of its long-awaited lunar passage into space.
The Gateway is considered to be the first long-term outpost for mankind on the moon, which is a small space station. But unlike the International Space Station, which orbits the Earth relatively low, the gateway will orbit the Moon. It will support the upcoming astronaut mission, which is part of NASA’s Artemis mission, which returns to the lunar surface and establishes a permanent presence there.
Specifically, the SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket System will launch power and propulsion elements (PPE) and Habitat and Logistics Base (HALO), which are key parts of the portal.
HALO is a pressurized residential area that will receive visiting astronauts. PPE is similar to motors and systems that keep everything running. NASA describes it as “a 60-kilowatt-class solar-powered spacecraft that will also provide power, high-speed communications, attitude control, and the ability to move the portal to different lunar orbits.”
The Falcon Heavy is SpaceX’s heavy-duty configuration, consisting of three Falcon 9 boosters tied together with a second stage and payload.
Since its debut in 2018, Elon Musk’s Tesla flew to Mars in a well-known demonstration, Falcon Heavy has only flown twice. Falcon Heavy plans to launch a pair of military satellites later this year, and launch NASA’s Psyche mission in 2022.
Currently, Lunar Gateway’s PPE and HALO will be launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in May 2024.
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Post time: Feb-24-2021