The cornerstone of its 2020s exploration plans is the Lunar Orbiting Platform-Gateway, a small space station to fly in orbit around the Moon. John Gerstenmaier , chief of human spaceflight for NASA , has emphasized the agency ’s commitment to the higher - cost Space Launch System rocket ( SLS ) rocket over cheaper commercial Falcon 9 rockets . He highlighted the payload capability of the SLS , and stated that it is uniquely capable of transporting large people and items into orbit in a single launch .
John Gerstenmaier , chief of human spaceflight for NASA , has emphasized the agency ’s commitment to the higher - cost Space Launch System rocket ( SLS ) rocket over cheaper commercial Falcon 9 rockets . He highlighted the payload capability of the SLS , and stated that it is uniquely capable of transporting large people and items into orbit in a single launch .