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Washington, DC, September 10, 2020. – NASA invites commercial companies to collect small amounts of “dirt” or moon rocks and deliver them to the US space agency, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a blog on Thursday.
“The requirements we have outlined are that a company collect a small amount of lunar ‘dirt’ or rocks from anywhere on the lunar surface, provide images to NASA of the collection and the collected material, along with data identifying the collection. location, and make an ‘in-place’ transfer of ownership of the lunar regolith or rocks to NASA, ”Bridenstine said. “After the transfer of ownership, the collected material becomes the exclusive property of NASA for our use,” he said. “NASA’s goal is for the recovery and transfer of ownership to be completed by 2024.”
The application creates full and open competition, not limited to US companies, and the agency may award one or more awards, Bridenstine said. NASA would pay up to $ 50,000 for the lunar material, an agency official said at a panel at the Safe World Foundation Space Sustainability Summit on Thursday.
“While we at NASA are working aggressively to meet our short-term goal of getting the first woman and next man to the Moon by 2024, our Artemis program is also focused on taking steps that will establish a safe and secure lunar exploration architecture. sustainable. Additionally, leveraging business participation as part of Artemis will enhance our ability to return to the Moon safely in a sustainable, innovative and affordable way, ”Bridenstine explained on her blog.
“Over the next decade, the Artemis program will lay the foundation for a long-term sustained presence on the lunar surface and use the Moon to validate deep space systems and operations before embarking on the much farther journey to Mars,” he said. . “The ability to perform in situ resource utilization (ISRU) will be incredibly important on Mars, so we must proceed quickly to develop techniques and gain experience with ISRUs on the surface of the Moon. Scientific discoveries obtained through sound, sustainable and safe lunar exploration will benefit all of humanity. By continuing to release our data, NASA will ensure that everyone joins us and benefits from Artemis’s journey. “
