The first part of the lunar base NASA build Maxar for $ 375 million

Space Agency NASA has contracted withspace technology company Maxar for 375 million dollars. As part of the contract, the latter will develop the first segment of Lunar Gateway, which will go into space - read about what Lunar Gateway is, the future space station in the moon's orbit. Maxar, which can now boast of having become the first commercial partner of this initiative, will work on the power and propulsion element of the lunar orbital station.

This component will provide the station with energy, maneuvering, height control, communication systems and first docking capabilities.

Who will build the lunar base for NASA

If you don’t know this name, it’s becausethat the company does not seek special publicity and public relations, working, for the most part, behind the scenes for large technology companies. Maxar's most famous products include Canadarm — a giant manipulator — used on NASA's space shuttles, as well as Canadarm2 and Dextre remote manipulation systems on the International Space Station. Experience in working with space technology does not take her.

While Maxar will be responsible for thisJeff Bezos and Draper’s Blue Origin project will help the company design and build a spacecraft for demonstration. You see, the company will have to prove that the component works by completing a demo space flight, and is guided by the year 2022. The demonstration period can last up to a year, but as soon as the segment is proven to work, it will officially become the first element of the Gateway.

In her ad, Maxar stated that her elementwill be based on the 1300 series spacecraft platform. In addition, it is said that the key element of the design of this segment will be a deployed NASA solar battery (ROSA), which is rolled up before launch, and does not stack. The company announced that it will select a commercial rocket to launch the energy and power segments over the next 12-18 months. New Glenn from Blue Origin, as noted by Ars, may well become a leader, given his participation in the project, however, Maxar does not state this directly.

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