Commercial markets on the moon need a new approach, says DARPA.
DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) has selected fourteen companies for a new study to develop technological frameworks for a lunar future.
These companies will work together to design integrated solutions for logistics, construction and communications. The study will not fund lunar surface technology demonstrations, but will provide the analytic framework for future activities.
Companies include Blue Origin, CisLunar Industries, Crescent Space Services LLC, Fibertek, Inc., Firefly Aerospace, Gitai, Helios, Honeybee Robotics, ICON, Nokia of America, Northrop Grumman, Redwire Corporation, Sierra Space, and SpaceX.
They will explore commercial in-situ resource utilization, positioning, navigation and timing, mobility and transit, and robotics in a highly collaborative environment.
For example, Firefly plans to develop a framework for on-orbit spacecraft hubs. Gitai will focus on its Inchworm robot for labor in space, while Redwire will work on communications and PNT services.