NASA in April awarded SpaceX with a sole $2.89bn contract to build the next crewed lunar lander under its Human Landing Systems programme.
NASA
NASA has used Spire data in its research regarding water and sea ice levels in the polar regions, and the height of the Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL).
The HALO design is based on Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft, which conducts resupply missions to the International Space Station.
NEO Surveyor is a version of a concept called NEOCam that competed in NASA’s Discovery programme of planetary science missions.
The two spacecraft are planned for launch in 2024 to Mars ridesharing aboard a NASA-provided commercial launch vehicle.
Each mission has an estimated cost of $500m, with launches expected between 2028 and 2030.
The two companies collaborated to pitch a conceptual Lunar Terrain Vehicle to NASA’s Artemis programme.
