NASA Mars Exploration Program

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NASA Mars Exploration Program

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https://www.nasa.gov/solar-system/planets/mars/nasa-selects-commercial-service-studies-to-enable-mars-robotic-science/

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NASA Selects Commercial Service Studies to Enable Mars Robotic Science

Nine companies have been selected to conduct early-stage studies of concepts for commercial services to support lower-cost, higher-frequency missions to the Red Planet.

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Small payload delivery and hosting services

Lockheed Martin Corporation, Littleton, Colorado — adapt a lunar-exploration spacecraft

Impulse Space, Inc., Redondo Beach, California — adapt an Earth-vicinity orbital transfer vehicle (space tug)

Firefly Aerospace, Cedar Park, Texas — adapt a lunar-exploration spacecraft

Large payload delivery and hosting services

• United Launch Services (ULA), LLC, Centennial, Colorado — modify an Earth-vicinity cryogenic upper stage

• Blue Origin, LLC, Kent, Washington — adapt an Earth- and lunar-vicinity spacecraft

• Astrobotic Technology, Inc., Pittsburgh — modify a lunar-exploration spacecraft

Mars surface-imaging services

• Albedo Space Corporation, Broomfield, Colorado — adapt a low Earth orbit imaging satellite

• Redwire Space, Inc., Littleton, Colorado — modify a low Earth orbit commercial imaging spacecraft

• Astrobotic Technology, Inc. — modify a lunar exploration spacecraft to include imaging

Next-generation relay services

• Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX), Hawthorne, California — adapt Earth-orbit communication satellites for Mars

• Lockheed Martin Corporation — provide communication relay services via a modified Mars orbiter

• Blue Origin, LLC — provide communication relay services via an adapted Earth- and lunar-vicinity spacecraft

The 12-week studies are planned to conclude in August, and a study summary will be released later in the year. These studies could potentially lead to future requests for proposals but do not constitute a NASA commitment.

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