How We'll Get Back to the Moon in 5 Years

The Moon has been a prevalent topic this week as we celebrated the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, and as we reflect on this significant milestone in history, I thought it would be a perfect time to look forward to the opportunities ahead of us. 

At a March 2019 meeting of the National Space Council, NASA was challenged to land the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024 -- an acceleration from their previous plan of 2028. Administrator Bridenstine has taken up the challenge on behalf of NASA and their partners, and we are all excited to step up and deliver on this bold challenge.

It's happening, and it's happening fast. Why? Because if you don't set a bold vision, you won't achieve great things. That's not just a lesson for space exploration, but in work and life as well.

Why the rush?

It may seem like we've fast-tracked our return to the Moon, but the reality is, even though it's been 50 years since our last lunar landing, we've been working on going back for a while now. Based on new discoveries and advanced knowledge, we know that we need to get there sooner rather than later -- and in a sustainable, permanent way. According to NASA, lunar missions will allow revolutionary science and exploration, economic development and even help preserve our planet's future.

For example, when we landed on the Moon 50 years ago, we landed at the equator and found no water. But we now understand there is water ice located on the South Pole of the Moon. This resource can be used to produce fuel and oxygen -- all from the Moon's surface, to enable a more permanent presence for critical science and development. This will also allow us to field test equipment and processes for future deep space missions even farther out -- to places like Mars.

In fact, our return to the Moon will encompass not only revolutionary science, but new types of partnerships to create a vibrant cislunar economy. New models for public and private partnerships will take the best of the government's role in making key infrastructure investments to "prime the pump" for accelerated commercial participation in these new opportunities.

Space is also where we'll see our next economic revolution. Tourism, research, mining, medical technology, and more -- they'll all benefit from a developing space economy and expanding our footprint in space by sustaining a presence on the Moon.

And finally, space is not just a team sport, but a global team sport. When international partners align to a common goal, we can all advance further. We are proud of our partnership with the European Space Agency and Airbus on the Orion program, and think we can all do more together to advance humankind's return to the Moon. Whether it's encouraging students to study science, technology, engineering and math or educating the general population on the benefits of space exploration, international cooperation is incredibly important to the overall well-being of humankind.

Orion will get us there.

So how are we going to meet such an ambitious goal? We're partnered with NASA to build Orion, the only spacecraft designed for long-duration, deep space exploration by humans. It's a multipurpose spacecraft built to meet NASA's requirements for deep space travel to the Moon, Mars and beyond. Orion is nearing completion of its development and test phase and will soon move into long-term production. In fact, I just had the privilege of attending a ceremony hosted by Vice President Pence as he announced the successful completion of the Artemis 1 Orion crew module. Orion will soon be ready to transport astronauts to interplanetary destinations, including the Moon, and return them safely back to Earth.

Orion was designed to leave Low Earth Orbit. Teams at Lockheed Martin created Orion's onboard technology to support astronauts who will explore deep space and visit other planets. The spacecraft has triple-redundant backup systems (so if issues arise the crew can come home), radiation protection, the capacity to operate for up to 1,000 days in deep space, thermal protection (keeping it 72 degrees inside regardless of the extreme temperatures in space), and a life support system which will clear out heat and moisture during exercise and daily living. These features will keep the crew safe and healthy while in the harsh and unforgiving environment of deep space.

At Lockheed Martin, we've been conducting in-depth studies on what an accelerated landing schedule would require. And with the right level of commitment, urgency and resources, we believe the first woman and next man can in fact walk on the surface by 2024.

Our lunar mission concept enables humans to return to the Moon as quickly as possible by reusing as much space-qualified and proven technology as we can to minimize cost, increase safety and reduce development times. The crewed lander is designed around proven avionics, life support and propulsion systems from Orion, which are already built for humans and will be flight-tested before the 2024 landing. In fact, some of it has flown in space already as part of the EFT-1. This approach leverages the investment NASA has made in human-rated systems for deep space and reusing the technology which can lay a foundation for a future expanded, sustainable human presence at the Moon.

It's an aggressive but achievable schedule to return to the Moon by 2024. And we're confident this could be the catalyst to help jump start a new era of human exploration of the Moon, Mars and beyond. The engineers and scientists at Lockheed Martin are committed to getting us there.