USA: In mid-March, the US DOD’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) selected a company to develop a concept for building a railway infrastructure on Earth’s satellite.
The seven-month task will be carried out as part of DARPA’s 10-year Lunar Architecture Capability Study LunA-10.
According to Northrop Grumman’s press release, the envisioned lunar rail network could transport people and cargo. Work on the concept will include:
- defining resources needed to build a lunar rail network,
- estimating foreseeable costs and technological and logistical risks,
- developing a conceptual design of a rail network,
- exploring concepts for robotic construction and operation of the system, including foundation preparation, track laying, maintenance and repair.
Chris Adams, vice president and general manager, strategic space systems, Northrop Grumman: «This investment in key developmental research keeps our technology at the forefront of next generation solutions. With our proven experience in the integration of complex systems and commercialized autonomous services, we will continue to create lasting change for a sustainable space ecosystem».
