NASA is calling for expressions of interest from private companies in sending small scientific payloads to the moon, starting in 2017.
To widen the scope of lunar exploration and increase the number of commercial flights to the moon, NASA has issued a Request for Information for a "Small Lunar Surface Payload," relying on the ability of U.S. companies to develop robots that can land on the moon.
However, NASA has made no commitment in terms of funding and is only looking for payload ideas. The American space agency will not be awarding any contracts at this juncture.
The timing is significant as it coincides with the Google Lunar XPRIZE competition for landing a small spacecraft on the moon's surface by the end of 2017.
"NASA is asking for information about small instruments that could be placed on small lunar landers, and our interest is that we want to address our strategic knowledge gaps," said John Guidi, NASA deputy director for advanced exploration systems.
Moon Exploration To Strengthen Mars Mission
There is some surprise among observers over NASA's new plan of sending more hardware to the moon: it seems to some as a departure from the manned mission to Mars.
The space agency has been harping on putting humans on Mars as a priority since 2010 and talk about missions to the lunar surface has been rare.
Obviously, NASA is looking to widen the understanding of moon's environment as a stepping stone for expanding human exploration to other planets.
For example, NASA has already tied up with some private companies in developing deep-space habitats that are operating in the region called Cislunar space around the moon.
Now NASA wants to know Cislunar habitats could be used for humans mission to the Mars. It wants moon's resources explored better for space travel including lunar water for making spacecraft fuel.
Similarly, aspects like radiation exposure and dust on the lunar surface and their impact on the human body also top the list.
"Though we have gathered a great deal of information over the decades about the Moon from the earliest robotic probes, from the Apollo missions, and more recently from spacecraft ... there is still much more that we need to learn," William Gerstenmaier, NASA's associate administrator for human exploration said.
Lunar Scout By Moon Express
One of the front runners keen to join the NASA's lunar plans will be lunar lander maker Moon Express, which announced a "Lunar Scout" program separately on Nov 1.
The Moon Express program offers $500,000 each for three instruments that will fly on the lunar lander of Moon Express to be selected by NASA.
"The Moon Express Lunar Scout Program is designed to expand our partnership with NASA with new low-cost lunar orbiter and surface missions," Moon Express Chief Executive Bob Richards said.
