posted 11-01-2017 03:50 PM               

NASA Selects Studies for Gateway Power and Propulsion Element

NASA has selected five U.S. companies to conduct four-month studies for a power and propulsion element that could be used as part of the deep space gateway concept. The agency is studying the gateway concept with U.S. industry and space station partners for potential future collaborations. These latest studies will help provide data on commercial capabilities as NASA defines objectives and requirements as well as help reduce risk for a new powerful and efficient solar electric propulsion (SEP) technology in deep space.

NASA needs a 50-kW SEP system, which is three-times more powerful than the capabilities available today, for future human missions. Earlier this year, NASA sought study proposals under Appendix C of the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP) Broad Agency Announcement. The request identified 23 topic areas including potential commercial synergies to support development of a power and propulsion element.

Combined funding awarded for the selected studies is approximately $2.4 million. The selected companies are:

• Boeing of Pasadena, Texas
  
• Lockheed Martin of Denver, Colorado
  
• Orbital ATK of Dulles, Virginia
  
• Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Space Systems of Louisville, Colorado
  
• Space Systems/Loral in Palo Alto, California

"NASA will use these studies to gain valuable insight into affordable ways to develop the power and propulsion element leveraging commercial satellite lines and plans,” said Michele Gates, director of the Power and Propulsion Element at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Advancing a high power SEP system will help drive future exploration missions and help take humans farther into deep space than ever before."

A new power and propulsion element will leverage advanced SEP technologies developed by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. An overarching objective of these studies is to understand the driving technical differences between prior SEP-powered mission concepts and potential new requirements for NASA’s deep space gateway concept.

posted 06-21-2018 10:20 PM               

NASA Will Seek Partnership with US Industry to Develop First Gateway Element

As part of the agency's Exploration Campaign, NASA's Gateway will become the orbital outpost for robotic and human exploration operations in deep space. Built with commercial and international partners, the Gateway will support exploration on and near the Moon, and beyond, including Mars.

NASA released a draft solicitation through a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) June 21, 2018, for proposals for partnership for the first element of the Gateway. NASA is seeking a high-power, 50-kW solar electric propulsion (SEP) spacecraft to maintain the Gateway's position as well as move it between lunar orbits as needed. It will also provide power to the rest of the Gateway, controls and communications. In addition to the draft BAA, NASA will host an industry day July 10 at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland prior to issuing the final BAA. Industry day details are available in the draft BAA.

Through this upcoming solicitation, industry will be asked to participate in a public/private partnership, which includes a flight demonstration of the power and propulsion spacecraft. Following this test lasting up to one-year in space after launch, NASA will have the option to acquire the spacecraft for use as the first element of the Gateway in lunar orbit.

"We believe partnering with U.S. industry for the power and propulsion element will stimulate advancements in commercial use of solar electric propulsion and also serve NASA exploration objectives," said Michele Gates, director, Power and Propulsion Element at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Our goal here is to gain input from industry on the draft solicitation to enable release of the final later this summer."

The power and propulsion element is also expected to enable high-rate, reliable communications between Earth and deep space, which will be important during deep space spacewalks, human exploration of the lunar surface, and more.

To meet current Gateway development planning, NASA is targeting launch of the power and propulsion element on a partner-provided commercial rocket in 2022.

The draft BAA follows a synopsis issued earlier this year for the power and propulsion element as well as studies completed in March by five U.S. companies to provide data on current commercial SEP capabilities and plans. In addition to the draft BAA, NASA will host an industry day next month prior to issuing the final BAA.

NASA is returning to the Moon with commercial and international partners as part of an overall agency Exploration Campaign in support of Space Policy Directive 1. The draft BAA is the first call from NASA to U.S. industry to acquire an element for the Gateway. Previous efforts will inform development of the Gateway. Most recently, NASA issued a Request for Information to better understand how U.S. industry would use or enhance the Gateway to support a growing space economy. The agency also asked industry for information regarding technical use of the Gateway to enable or evolve initial capabilities for human exploration, science and commercial activities in deep space. Earlier this year, NASA also hosted a workshop to kick-off discussions about how the Gateway could create scientific value for both robotic and human exploration in deep space.

Finally, ongoing work through the agency's Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships, or NextSTEP, which began in 2016, will support future habitation capabilities for the Gateway. In addition to building habitation prototypes, five companies under NextSTEP contracts are also developing full Gateway concepts.

"Since the directive was issued in December to return to the Moon, the agency has been moving full-steam ahead with plans for robotic and human lunar exploration," said Jason Crusan, director, Advanced Exploration Systems, at NASA Headquarters. "It's an exciting time to be at NASA, and we look forward to partnering with U.S. industry and international partners as we lead the return to the Moon, and go beyond."

posted 05-23-2019 02:44 PM               

NASA Awards Artemis Contract for Lunar Gateway Power, Propulsion

In one of the first steps of the agency's Artemis lunar exploration plans, NASA announced on Thursday the selection of Maxar Technologies, formerly SSL, in Westminster, Colorado, to develop and demonstrate power, propulsion and communications capabilities for NASA's lunar Gateway.

Above: The power and propulsion element provides a communications relay capability for NASA's Gateway, enabling it to serve as a mobile command and service module for human and robotic expeditions to the lunar surface.

"The power and propulsion element is the foundation of Gateway and a fine example of how partnerships with U.S. companies can help expedite NASA's return to the Moon with the first woman and next man by 2024," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. "It will be the key component upon which we will build our lunar Gateway outpost, the cornerstone of NASA's sustainable and reusable Artemis exploration architecture on and around the Moon."

The power and propulsion element is a high-power, 50-kilowatt solar electric propulsion spacecraft – three times more powerful than current capabilities. As a mobile command and service module, the Gateway provides a communications relay for human and robotic expeditions to the lunar surface, starting at the Moon's South Pole.

This firm-fixed price award includes an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity portion and carries a maximum total value of $375 million. The contract begins with a 12-month base period of performance and is followed by a 26-month option, a 14-month option and two 12-month options.

Above: The power and propulsion element of NASA's Gateway is a high-power, 50-kilowatt solar electric propulsion spacecraft – three times more powerful than current capabilities.

Spacecraft design will be completed during the base period, after which the exercise of options will provide for the development, launch, and in-space flight demonstration. The flight demonstration will last as long as one year, during which the spacecraft will be fully owned and operated by Maxar. Following a successful demonstration, NASA will have the option to acquire the spacecraft for use as the first element of the Gateway. NASA is targeting launch of the power and propulsion element on a commercial rocket in late 2022.

"We're excited to demonstrate our newest technology on the power and propulsion element. Solar electric propulsion is extremely efficient, making it perfect for the Gateway," said Mike Barrett, power and propulsion element project manager at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. "This system requires much less propellant than traditional chemical systems, which will allow the Gateway to move more mass around the Moon, like a human landing system and large modules for living and working in orbit."

Charged with returning to the Moon within five years, NASA's lunar exploration plans are based on a two-phase approach: the first is focused on speed – landing on the Moon by 2024 – while the second will establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028. We then will use what we learn on the Moon to prepare to send astronauts to Mars.

posted 05-23-2019 02:54 PM               

Maxar Selected to Build, Fly First Element of NASA's Lunar Gateway

Maxar partners with Blue Origin and Draper to design, build and demonstrate operations of a spacecraft that could support returning humans to the surface of the Moon by 2024

Maxar Technologies, a global technology innovator powering the new space economy, today announced it has been selected by NASA to build and perform a spaceflight demonstration of the lunar Gateway's power and propulsion element spacecraft. Blue Origin and Draper will join the Maxar-led team in designing, building and operating the spacecraft through the demonstration period. The power and propulsion element is a key component to NASA's overall plans to land American astronauts on the surface of the Moon by 2024, and will be the first segment of the Gateway tested in space.

Maxar previously conducted a four-month study to develop affordable and innovative electric-propulsion-enabled concepts for the power and propulsion element spacecraft. Building on the successful completion of the study, Maxar has been selected to proceed with development. The power and propulsion element will provide power, maneuvering, attitude control, communications systems and initial docking capabilities. Maxar is currently targeting launch of the element on a commercial rocket by late 2022.

"Maxar Space Solutions is proud to play a critical role in enabling American astronauts to build a sustainable presence on the Moon. Our power and propulsion element partnership enables NASA to leverage Maxar's commercial capabilities to cost-effectively expedite plans for sustainable exploration of the Moon, while also providing significant benefits to American industry," said Dan Jablonsky, Maxar CEO. "As a valuable part of Maxar, our Space Solutions group serves the global commercial and U.S. government satellite market."

This firm-fixed price award includes an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity portion and carries a maximum total value of $375 million. Following a successful demonstration period of up to one-year, NASA could acquire the spacecraft for use as the first element of the Gateway.

"The Gateway will give us a strategic presence on and around the Moon. It will drive our activity with commercial and international partners and help us explore the entire lunar surface and its resources," said William Gerstenmaier, associate administrator, Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "We will ultimately translate that experience toward human missions to Mars."

Maxar's power and propulsion element design is based on our powerful 1300-class platform, which provides flexibility for a broad range of applications and technological advances. There are 91 spacecraft based on the 1300 currently on orbit for commercial operators – more than any other model of communications satellite. Maxar's 1300-class spacecraft platform is also the basis for NASA's Psyche mission, which will explore an all-metal asteroid beyond Mars in 2026, and NASA's Restore-L spacecraft, which will refuel the Landsat-7 satellite in 2022.

High-power solar electric propulsion will be used to efficiently maneuver the power and propulsion element into its orbit and subsequently move the Gateway between lunar orbits over its lifetime to maximize NASA's science and exploration operations. Maxar's extensive experience with solar electric propulsion includes 36 spacecraft on-orbit today and more than 100,000 hours of firing time.

A key element of Maxar's power and propulsion element design is the Roll Out Solar Array (ROSA). ROSA is a groundbreaking, compact, modular and scalable solar array system that rolls up for launch instead of folding like an accordion. ROSA is a highly mass-efficient, qualified technology that can be scaled up to 200kW and above for high-power operations. ROSA was successfully tested on the International Space Station in 2017 and is available for use on all of Maxar's spacecraft platforms.

The operations of DigitalGlobe, SSL (Space Systems Loral) and Radiant Solutions were unified under the Maxar brand in February; MDA continues to operate as an independent business unit within the Maxar organization.

posted 02-09-2021 04:09 PM               

NASA Awards Contract to Launch Initial Elements for Lunar Outpost

NASA has selected Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, California, to provide launch services for the agency's Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) and Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO), the foundational elements of the Gateway. As the first long-term orbiting outpost around the Moon, the Gateway is critical to supporting sustainable astronauts missions under the agency's Artemis program.

After integration on Earth, the PPE and HALO are targeted to launch together no earlier than May 2024 on a Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The total cost to NASA is approximately $331.8 million, including the launch service and other mission-related costs.

The PPE is a 60-kilowatt class solar electric propulsion spacecraft that also will provide power, high-speed communications, attitude control, and the capability to move the Gateway to different lunar orbits, providing more access to the Moon's surface than ever before.

The HALO is the pressurized living quarters where astronauts who visit the Gateway, often on their way to the Moon, will work. It will provide command and control and serve as the docking hub for the outpost. HALO will support science investigations, distribute power, provide communications for visiting vehicles and lunar surface expeditions, and supplement the life support systems aboard Orion, NASA's spacecraft that will deliver Artemis astronauts to the Gateway.

About one-sixth the size of the International Space Station, the Gateway will function as a way station, located tens of thousands of miles at its farthest distance from the lunar surface, in a near-rectilinear halo orbit. It will serve as a rendezvous point for Artemis astronauts traveling to lunar orbit aboard Orion prior to transit to low-lunar orbit and the surface of the Moon. From this vantage, NASA and its international and commercial partners will conduct unprecedented deep space science and technology investigations.

posted 04-01-2021 05:18 PM               

Gateway's Propulsion System Passes First Test

The thruster system that will propel NASA's Gateway around the Moon was recently fired up for the first of many ground tests to ensure the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) is ready for flight.

NASA, along with Maxar Technologies and Busek Co., successfully completed a test of the 6-kilowatt (kW) solar electric propulsion (SEP) subsystem destined for the PPE. The hot fire tests were funded by NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate, which helps foster the development of commercial space capabilities, and included multiple start-ups and shutdowns and other flight-like scenarios to demonstrate the system is ready for the transit to the Moon and extended operations there.

"This is an exciting first step toward proving the PPE's propulsion system will meet Gateway's requirements," said Mike Barrett, Power and Propulsion Element manager at NASA's Glenn Research Center. "These thrusters will be critical in delivering the first elements of Gateway to lunar orbit and will help us create a dynamic exploration platform over Gateway's 15-year lifespan."

This SEP thruster is about 30% more powerful than anything Maxar or Busek have previously flown. Several of these 6-kilowatt thrusters will later be combined with other, higher-power thrusters to complete the PPE's 50kW electric propulsion system. In total, the PPE will be the most powerful electric propulsion spacecraft ever flown and it will maneuver Gateway around the Moon, opening up more of the lunar surface for exploration than ever before.

posted 07-12-2021 09:47 AM               

Maxar Completes Power and Propulsion Element Preliminary Design Review

Maxar Technologies, a trusted partner and innovator in Earth Intelligence and Space Infrastructure, today (July 12) announced that the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) it is developing for NASA's lunar Gateway has passed its first Preliminary Design Review (PDR) and remains on track for launch in 2024.

Passing PDR-1 means that Maxar expects to finalize the PPE system-level design over the next year, culminating in the Critical Design Review in May 2022. A second PDR this fall will verify that the evolved PPE design meets mission requirements and is cleared for final design review and fabrication. During this period, Maxar will continue to take delivery of flight hardware units based on the company's 1300-class spacecraft platform.

Maxar's PPE is the foundational element of the Gateway, providing power, maneuvering, attitude control and communications systems for the lunar orbiting outpost. Gateway is a cornerstone of NASA's Artemis program, which aims to land the first woman and first person of color on the moon and enable future crewed missions to Mars. PPE is managed by NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio.

In 2020, NASA introduced new requirements, including the integration of the PPE with Northrop Grumman's Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) on the ground to enable launch of both modules together on a single SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch vehicle. This change reduced Gateway's risk profile and increased its cost effectiveness, necessitating the need for a second PDR that reflects the evolved program design.

Maxar's 1300-class spacecraft are currently supporting the following NASA missions:

• PPE, the highest power solar electric propulsion spacecraft ever built
  
• Psyche, a deep space mission to a metal-rich asteroid
  
• OSAM-1, an on-orbit assembly, manufacturing and refueling demonstration
  
• TEMPO, a climate sensor hosted on a commercial communications satellite

"Clearing this development milestone for PPE is a significant accomplishment," said Chris Johnson, Maxar's Senior Vice President of Space Program Delivery. "PPE is one of several NASA programs built on Maxar's trusted 1300-class spacecraft platform, which leverages decades of our commercial design, manufacturing and operations expertise. At Maxar, our team is agile, and our spacecraft are versatile. The progress we have made on PPE is further evidence that we are prepared to meet a broad range of civil, commercial and national security mission needs."

posted 11-04-2022 07:29 PM               

Rocket Lab Delivers Final Solar Panels for NASA Gateway's Power and Propulsion Element

Critical to one of the world's largest solar array assemblies, the solar panels will enable NASA's Gateway lunar space station to be the most powerful electric propulsion spacecraft ever flown.

Rocket Lab USA, Inc., a leading launch and space systems company, has delivered the final solar panels to Maxar that will fly on the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) for NASA's Gateway lunar space station.

SolAero Technologies Inc, a leading space solar power provider acquired by Rocket Lab, was awarded the contract in 2019 from Maxar to design and manufacture the solar panels that will supply nearly 70 kilowatts of electrical power to Gateway, an essential element of NASA's Artemis missions that will land the first woman and first person of color on the surface of the Moon.

Gateway is an international collaboration to establish humanity's first space station in lunar orbit supporting sustained crewed and uncrewed deep space exploration and research, and helping pave the way to Mars. The orbiting outpost will include docking ports for a variety of spacecraft, space for crew to live and work, and on-board science investigations to study heliophysics, human health, and life sciences. The PPE is a high-power, solar electric propulsion spacecraft that will provide power, high-rate communications, altitude control, and orbital transfer capabilities.

The solar panels incorporate Rocket Lab's quadruple-junction "Z4J" solar cells and utilize automated assembly methods pioneered by the Company's Albuquerque-based team for high-volume production of satellite solar panels. The Z4J solar cells exhibit 30.0% minimum average conversion efficiency at beginning-of-life (BOL) and superior radiation hardness and temperature performance when compared to other Germanium-based solar cells.

"We are proud to have delivered the final modules to our partners at Maxar for assembly of the Roll Out Solar Array by Deployable Space Systems," said Brad Clevenger, Rocket Lab's Vice President & General Manager, Space Systems Power Solutions. "It is an honor for us to be providing such a critical component to Gateway and be part of humanity's first space station in lunar orbit."

"The delivery of these solar modules is another feather in our cap to support the Artemis program," said Peter Beck, Rocket Lab founder and CEO. "In addition to being an integral part of powering the Power and Propulsion Element, Rocket Lab will also provide the power to the Orion spacecraft that will carry astronauts from Earth to lunar orbit, and this comes off the back of our recent successful launch of the CAPSTONE spacecraft, a pathfinder satellite for NASA that is designed to test the same orbit intended for Gateway."