The Huntsville-based Dynetics announced Wednesday that the company has submitted its proposal for Option A of the Human Landing System (HLS) for NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return Americans to the lunar surface by 2024 and eventually the first humans to Mars.
The Rocket City company, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Leidos, was named last year as one of three main contractors awarded a contract to design an HLS and compete to build the system that will eventually be used in Artemis. Blue Origin and SpaceX were the other two main contractors awarding contracts.
As of Wednesday, the Dynetics team also completed the HLS Continuation Review, a critical milestone during the ten-month base period that NASA will use to assess progress in developing HLS hardware and program plans.
During the Continuation Review, Dynetics reportedly provided NASA with information about its early design efforts, mission plans, and hardware and software building, as well as testing activities that demonstrate tangible, robust progress toward NASA’s mission objectives.
Dynetics is currently conducting tests of its main engines simultaneously at its propulsion test site and at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, both of which are located in Huntsville. This collaboration leverages Dynetics and NASA’s expertise in oxygen / methane propulsion at their facilities. These tests provide information on the performance and stability of the engines to improve the final design before qualification.
Dynetics conducted tests of its smaller response control system engines at its own facilities and gradually progressed through more difficult and volatile test conditions.
The company also continues to use a low-fidelity test article and recently added a software test article (or ‘simulator’) provided by Draper Laboratory. The new simulator component enables early on-the-go testing of the Dynetics HLS guidance, navigation and control software.
“Our team is making great strides with our system design and analysis, hardware development and testing. The incredible amount of technical data and excellent products delivered so far speaks to the power of the fast, yet rigorous, engineering approach the team has applied, ”said Kim Doering, Vice President of Space Systems at Dynetics. “We believe this work lays a good foundation for our crew-oriented, sustainable solution to become NASA’s choice for safe transportation to and from the lunar surface.”
Dynetics as the main contractor leads a global team of industry-recognized human space and hardware / software experience directly applicable to the HLS. All the members have so far made an important contribution to the progress of the team.
Decatur Rocket Builder United Launch Alliance (ULA) is one of these partners and subcontractors, as well as Tuskegee University. It continues with the theme that Artemis is driven by Alabama.
The Dynetics HLS can be fully integrated and launched on the Space Launch System (SLS) Block 1B vehicle, which is the world’s most powerful rocket ever to be the center of Artemis. Boeing is the main contractor for the SLS core phase, with the Huntsville-based Space and Launch division managing the SLS work.
For commercial launches, the Dynetics HLS can be flown aboard ULA’s Vulcan Centaur rocket, built in Decatur.
Dynetics added on Wednesday that its HLS team will continue to design the subsystem and system-level design and critical technology demonstrations, as it awaits the selection of an option A from NASA in early 2021.
NASA’s HLS program is managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center.
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn