Currently, NASA has engaged industry to develop a series of small to medium capacity landers with payload capacities of up to 5-9 tons by the mid to late 2020s. This contrasts with the former Constellation program, where the Altair lunar lander was targeting a payload capability of roughly 14-20 tons. Investment in smaller landers may present future challenges in delivering habitat modules larger than lunar lander cabins or small logistics modules to the lunar surface. Additionally, given a projected SLS flight rate of 1-2 launches per year, a lunar surface buildup from small elements seems problematic at best. While commercial launchers provide a supplement to SLS, many of the current and projected launch vehicles deliver less than 20 tons to a Trans-Lunar Injection – even fewer to the lunar surface. However, a possible solution could emerge if the lander itself could be launched in pieces with a buildup in Cislunar space. Thus, launchers with these capacities could contribute to a lunar lander capable of delivering 30 tons or more to the lunar surface. This paper introduces the notional concept of a Joinable Undercarriage to Maximized Payload (JUMP) lander. Key elements of a proposed JUMP lander concept will be discussed, followed by recommendations and forward work.


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    Title :

    A Joinable Undercarriage to Maximize Payload (JUMP) Lunar Lander for Cargo Delivery to the Lunar Surface


    Contributors:

    Conference:

    AIAA Propulsion and Energy 2019 Forum ; 2019 ; Indianapolis, IN, United States


    Publication date :

    2019-08-19


    Type of media :

    Conference paper


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English