The US defense and space company Northrop Grumman has announced that Darpa, the research arm of the US Department of Defense, has commissioned it to develop a railway network for the moon. The trains of this railway are intended to transport people and materials on the moon at some point in the future. This railway is part of an extensive infrastructure project called Project LunA-10 for the Earth’s satellite.
Construction work is difficult on the moon, which is why robots rather than humans should build and operate the railway line. So there will be no train drivers on the moon and therefore no train drivers’ strikes. But before concrete work can begin, extensive planning work is required. Northrop Grumman is starting to do this now. This planning work includes:
- Defining the interfaces and resources required to build a lunar railway network.
- Preparation of a list of foreseeable costs and technological and logistical risks.
- Identification of prototypes, demonstrators, and analysis of the conceptual design and architecture of a fully operational lunar orbit system.
- Study concepts for the construction and operation of the system using robots, including grading and preparation of the foundation, placement and alignment of tracks, connection and completion, inspection, maintenance and repair.
Chris Adams, vice president and general manager, Strategic Space Systems, Northrop Grumman: “This investment in critical development research keeps our technology at the forefront of next-generation solutions. With our proven experience in integrating complex systems and commercializing autonomous services, we will continue to create lasting change for a sustainable space ecosystem.”
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Several companies are working together on the LunA-10 project. At the end of the project, which is scheduled to last ten years, there will be a functioning, privately operated lunar economy for the USA and international partners. This lunar infrastructure should be functional in 2035, as Darpa writes here.
