Lunar lander companies are urging NASA to revise its approach to buying services from them as part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. The companies, which include Firefly Aerospace, Astrobotic, and Intuitive Machines, are seeking more stable funding commitments, investments in testing facilities, and communications services.
The companies’ CEOs testified before the House Science Committee’s space subcommittee, citing the success of their landers under the CLPS model. They recommended larger landers and block buys of missions to enable a steady cadence of two to three missions per year.
However, NASA’s handling of a lunar rover mission called VIPER has raised concerns among lawmakers and scientists. The agency canceled the mission in July, citing budget constraints, but has since offered the completed rover to companies to fly it to the moon at their own expense.
Brett Denevi, a principal staff scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab, expressed skepticism about NASA’s approach, saying that China is likely to make the first landed measurements of ice on the moon and test methods for lunar resource utilization if the VIPER mission is not restored.
The companies’ CEOs also recommended exploring block buys of landers in a second round of the CLPS program, dubbed CLPS 2.0. John Thornton, CEO of Astrobotic, said that this would enable US lander providers to buy in bulk from their US supply chains and save CLPS money.
Steve Altemus, president and CEO of Intuitive Machines, added that expanding CLPS to include delivering infrastructure to the moon could maximize efficiency, reduce cost, and enhance innovation through shared investments and multi-use capabilities.
Source: https://spacenews.com/clps-companies-seek-expanded-opportunities-for-commercial-lunar-landers