NASA Holds Industry Day to Outline Lunar Exploration Plan, Get Feedback

On 14 February 2019, NASA elaborated on it's lunar exploration architecture for interested corporations, and sought their reactions at  NASA headquarters in Washington. The forum was led by NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and Bill Gerstenmeier, Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations.On 7 February, the agency had published a Request For Proposals from those companies looking to develop lunar landers for NASA and its international partners.It is the first step in the return of human explorers to the Moon,a series of critical studies, development and flight demos enabling sustainable exploration of deep space for the first time, including in-situ resource utilisation.*
NASA envisions a three-element approach to landing human explorers on the Moon:
1.transfer vehicle going from the Gateway's high halo orbit to the low lunar orbit;
2.descent vehicle going from the LLO to the lunar surface; and
3.ascent vehicle for safe return of the astronauts.
Vehicles that do not fit this specific architecture are ineligible for this funding opportunity.*
Formal responses from the corporations are due by 25 March 2019.*
A timeline for the lunar return effort was provided:
2024-An Orion Program mission places the first Gateway component, the small utilisation component for docking,in its high halo orbit; also the descent landing test is carried out.
2026-All three elements are tested.
2028-Human explorers return to the lunar surface.
NASA aims to replicate these steps on Mars.*
Lockheed Martin (LMT)