What to know about NASA’s new 2024 moon mission

 In 2024, NASA is collaborating with the space industry for a series of American Moon landings, hoping to reduce costs and expand lunar exploration. A new partnership under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) will see the United States returning to the Moon after fifty years, led by Houston-based Intuitive Machines.

The CLPS initiative, established back in 2018, involves purchasing services from commercial partners to deliver science hardware, a departure from traditional procurement methods.

The goal is to make missions more frequent and cost-effective, even though success rates for early attempts remain uncertain. And while the first attempt last month failed, but the people involved are still hopeful.

NASA is engaging with multiple companies to have all the technical solutions they might need, while also having a broader lunar economy, extending beyond governmental interests. The initiative contrasts with the Apollo era, emphasizing collaborative industry partnerships and a marketplace approach that could reduce reliance on government funding.

Focusing on experimental companies rather than established ones, CLPS aims to expand lunar exploration with new technologies. While the initial mission by Astrobotic encountered technical challenges in January, NASA continues to support companies like Intuitive Machines, Firefly Aerospace, and Draper in their lunar mission efforts.

These missions are part of a broader strategy to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon, emphasizing environmental risk assessments and long-term habitation plans. By targeting resources like water ice for drinking and fuel, NASA aims to use the Moon as a strategic base for future crewed missions to Mars.