Intensive work on the construction of the Lunar Space Port has begun

The successor of the International Space Station, which will become the interchange point between Earth, Moon and Mars, will rise faster than we all think.

Donald Trump, president of the United States, Mike Pence, US vice president, and Jim Bridenstine, head of NASA, jointly announced that the United States would return to the moon, build the first human colony and the Moon Space Port. It will enable not only to continue conducting research and experiments, which are very important for humanity, when in the late 1920s the International Space Station will be abandoned and will enable faster and more effective exploration of the Silver Globe. The new station is to become an intermediate point between Earth and the Moon and Mars.

Now we hear news that both American and European concerns have begun intensive work on the design and construction of the first elements of the Lunar Space Port. NASA and ESA predict that on board the new station, astronauts will be able to stay for about 60 days. The facility is to be equipped with universal locks, which will allow both crews to walk on space walks, and serve to dock private spacecraft participating in space mining missions.

His great project has just been announced by Airbus. Over the next 15 months, engineers will design a residential and research module, which is to measure approximately 6.5 x 4.5 meters and weigh approximately 9 tons. His task will be not only to provide astronauts with maximum safety and a good environment to conduct research, but also the ability to quickly transport to the surface of the Silver Globe.

Airbus engineers will also work on the concept of building the infrastructure element of the station. It is to have dimensions of about 3 x 3 meters, weigh about 4 tons and serve to refuel, dock, connect, and it will function as an air lock for scientific equipment, known as Esprit. Both projects are to be implemented jointly by European countries, including Poland.

The general outline of the Airbus concept for the residential module and the Esprit module is to be presented publicly during the forthcoming major International Space Congress IAC 2018 in Bremen, which will take place between October 1 and 5 this year.

The works on the Moon Space Port were also joined by such companies as: Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Bigelow Aerospace, Sierra Nevada Corporation and Orbital ATK. However, Lockheed Martin leads the most advanced works. The American corporation recently presented a residential module as part of the NextSTEP initiative, which sets the direction for the conquest of the Silver Globe and the Red Planet.

The company will use the old space commodity module, which in the 1990s was used by the Italian Space Agency (IKA), and will transform it into the most modern habitat for astronauts on our planet. Engineers will test the life support technologies of future colonizers of the Moon and Mars in it, and then it will become part of the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway, or the Moon Space Port. It is to be ready after 2030. It is in such modules that astronauts will be prepared to undertake space missions that are important to humanity.

The project will use the Donatello module (MPLM). It is less than 5 meters wide and 7 meters long. According to the plan, it is to ensure a comfortable stay of astronauts for a period of 30 to 60 days. Researchers intend during the tests to take advantage of the benefits of virtual technology and augmented reality, to best replicate the real conditions that will prevail in the capsule.

Lockheed Martin has enormous experience in such projects. Engineers prior to 2040 want to build a manned space station on Mars orbit, and basically a mobile laboratory on which scientists could conduct important research to help them explore this mysterious planet.

The defense company started cooperation with NASA, creating a joint project called Mars Base Camp. Interestingly, specialists from the group, while building the base, will not invest in innovative solutions, they will only use already existing, or proven and safe technologies, which are used on a daily basis by NASA.