Lockheed Martin has revealed plans for an enormous lander, which it believes could be used on future missions to the Moon or even Mars.
The lander is a single stage, fully reusable system that would accommodate a crew of four, as well as 2,000lbs of cargo.
The firm believes the lander could align with NASA ’s lunar Gateway mission, which plans to have a permanent spacecraft orbiting the moon by 2020.
Lisa Callahan, vice president of Commercial Civil Space at Lockheed Martin Space, said: “NASA asked industry for innovative and new approaches to advance America’s goal of returning humans to the Moon, and establishing a sustainable, enduring presence there.
“This is a concept that takes full advantage of both the Gateway and existing technologies to create a versatile, powerful lander that can be built quickly and affordably.
“This lander could be used to establish a surface base, deliver scientific or commercial cargo, and conduct extraordinary exploration of the Moon.”
Lockheed Martin suggests that the lander would land on the surface of the Moon, before returning to the Gateway to be refuelled and services.
Tim Cichan, a space architect at Lockheed Martin Space, said: “The Gateway is key to full, frequent and fast reusability of this lander.
“Because this lander doesn’t have to endure the punishment of re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, it can be re-flown many times over without needing significant and costly refurbishment.
“That’s a major advantage of the Gateway and of a modular, flexible, reusable approach to deep space exploration."
The enormous lander concept is actually so big that it has its own elevator.
Speaking to Ars Technica , Mr Cichan said: “There is a lift elevator platform to get the crew down from the cabin to the surface.”
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