NASA has awarded a contract to develop a minimal habitation module for its lunar Gateway project to Lockheed Martin. The agency revealed in a justification document that Northrop was the only one of six firms that could meet the mid-2023 deadline. Northrop's proposed module is based on its Cygnus cargo spacecraft, which was deemed small enough and sufficiently well-developed for NASA's project. NASA said holding a full and open competition would have caused "unacceptable" delays of 12 to 18 months.
NASA has awarded a contract to develop a minimal habitation module for its lunar Gateway project to Northrop Grumman. The agency revealed in a justification document that Northrop was the only one of six firms that could meet the mid-2023 deadline. Northrop's proposed module is based on its Cygnus cargo spacecraft, which was deemed small enough and sufficiently well-developed for NASA's project. NASA said holding a full and open competition would have caused "unacceptable" delays of 12 to 18 months.