Astrobotic, ISpace and Intuitive Machines announced work on the lunar program. Within two years they will send uninhabited
Despite the fact that the moon was only reachedto the three superpowers of the United States, China and Russia, private companies are not giving up hope of repeating or even surpassing their success. As with any fairly ambitious project, the final timeline will at times move forward. However, accurate data should appear in 2021.
Astrobotic
The Pittsburgh Company Started as a MemberGoogle Lunar X Prize competitions. And although there were no winners in the competition (no one made a launch until March 31, 2018), many teams continued to work on the lunar program.
Astrobotic's main goal is to open commerceaccess to the moon. If someone needs to deliver something to the moon, then they will help in this. NASA has now given them the task of delivering 14 cargoes to the moon using their 180-cm Peregrine.
The Peregrine is planned to be delivered with the Vulcan Centaur missile, and the first launch is scheduled for 2021.
ISpace
Japan-based private company was alsofinalist Lunar X. They have much more serious plans - they want to build an entire city on the moon by 2040. “Lunar Valley” (the name of the lunar city) must provide itself with water, minerals and other resources that will be taken from the surface and bowels of the moon.
To implement such an ambitious projectThe company is developing a series of lunar rovers and landers to study the surface of the satellite. The team has already planned to launch their devices with the help of Falcon 9 for the 2020s.
Intuitive machines
Although IM did not participate in the Lunar X Prize, shebased in Houston and has a team of professional engineers who previously worked at NASA, which gives them an undeniable advantage - experience. The aerospace agency has already instructed them to deliver five cargoes to the moon. This will be done by the Nova-C lander, which they want to launch Falcon 9 rockets in their nose in 2021.
Commercialization of the lunar programrails can be a great push forward in this area, because money is the best engine of progress, because the times of the space race are long behind.