Redwire reported that it received NASA approval to advance its technology for building infrastructure on the moon and Mars.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—An advanced lunar and Martian manufacturing technology currently being developed by space infrastructure company Redwire Corporation has passed Critical Design Review (CDR) with NASA participation, the company said in a release.
The manufacturing technology, called Mason, is a tool suite designed to operate on the Moon and Mars that will enable the construction of berms, landing pads, and roads for future lunar and Martian habitats. The project, managed under a Tipping Point agreement with NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, is part of a $12.9 million award to prototype Mason for broader plans to support a long-term presence and exploration on the lunar surface, the release stated.
“We are proud to have successfully completed this exciting milestone and bring Mason one step closer to launch,” said Redwire President of Space Missions, Tom Campbell, in a statement. “Leveraging Redwire’s unmatched in-space manufacturing experience, Mason technology is critical to enabling sustainable operations on the Moon and Mars surface.”
Mason, designed to be scalable and platform agnostic for use on different landers, rovers, or robotic arms, is reported to convert lunar or Martian regolith into a strong, solid material similar to concrete. The technology includes three tools: a grader tool called BASE (Blade for Autonomously Surfacing Environments), a compaction tool called PACT (Planetary Automated Compaction Tool), and a microwave sintering tool called M3LT (Microwave Melter of Martian and Lunar Terrain).
Regolith can cause equipment failures and maneuverability challenges, and it can become a dangerous projectile when accelerated by a rocket’s exhaust plume. Rockets launching without a launch pad can incur significant damage, and clouds of dust propelled into orbit during launch can create debris for orbiting satellites, causing a satellite to move. The presence of dust on equipment and on spacesuits can also have health impacts on astronauts, according to the release.
Mason is said to mitigate these risks, while significantly lowering the cost of lunar and Martian exploration efforts.
Now that Redwire has completed the Critical Design Review successfully, its engineers will fabricate the Mason critical design prototype and conduct functional testing of the three tools. Redwire is currently exploring flight opportunities for a demonstration mission, the company said in the release.
Redwire is leading a team of industry and academic partners to develop Mason. Its partners in development are reported to include NASA Kennedy Space Center Swamp Works, Lambda Technologies, Colorado School of Mines, and the University of Central Florida.
Redwire Corporation describes itself as a “global space infrastructure and innovation company enabling civil, commercial, and national security programs.” The company’s capabilities are reported to include avionics, sensors, power products, critical structures, mechanisms, radio frequency systems, platforms, missions, and microgravity payloads.