{"id":50481,"date":"2024-03-19T20:40:31","date_gmt":"2024-03-19T20:40:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2024\/03\/19\/northrop-darpa-envision-moon-railroad-for-lunar-logistics\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T18:34:37","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T18:34:37","slug":"northrop-darpa-envision-moon-railroad-for-lunar-logistics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2024\/03\/19\/northrop-darpa-envision-moon-railroad-for-lunar-logistics\/","title":{"rendered":"Northrop, DARPA envision moon \u2018railroad\u2019 for lunar logistics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is working with Northrop Grumman to flesh out a concept for a moon-based railroad network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe envisioned lunar railroad network could transport humans, supplies and resources for commercial ventures across the lunar surface \u2014 contributing to a space economy for the United States and international partners,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/news.northropgrumman.com\/news\/releases\/northrop-grumman-to-develop-concept-for-lunar-railroad\" target=\"_blank\">Northrop said in a March 19 statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The company\u2019s work will focus on identifying the interfaces, resources and funding needed to build such a network as well as the technological and logistical risks. Northrop will also propose lunar rail system prototypes explore how the capability could be built and operated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The effort is part of DARPA\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c4isrnet.com\/battlefield-tech\/space\/2023\/08\/16\/darpa-to-explore-technology-needed-for-moon-based-economy\/\" target=\"_blank\">Lunar Architecture Capability Study, or LunA-10<\/a>. The seven-month study will not fund construction or hardware development but is instead designed to identify the technologies that are foundational to developing a future infrastructure on the moon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Northrop was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.darpa.mil\/news-events\/2023-12-05\" target=\"_blank\">one of 14 companies DARPA selected in December<\/a> to explore concepts to support a future lunar economy by 2035. Focus areas for those studies include power generation, moon mining and resource utilization, navigation, and mobility and logistics. The firms selected include launch providers, startups, defense prime contractors and tech companies. DARPA has not disclosed the value of the contracts it awarded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The studies come as the U.S., its international partners and commercial firms envision future activity around the moon. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c4isrnet.com\/battlefield-tech\/space\/2022\/05\/05\/darpas-nuclear-space-propulsion-project-advances-to-next-phase\/\" target=\"_blank\">In recent years, DARPA<\/a> and the Air Force Research Laboratory have started several programs to explore logistics and satellite sensing<a href=\"https:\/\/www.c4isrnet.com\/battlefield-tech\/space\/2022\/02\/13\/air-force-research-lab-building-momentum-on-cislunar-projects\/\" target=\"_blank\"> in a lunar environment<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Space Force\u2019s interest in the military utility of operations around the moon is also growing. The service in February announced plans to create a Space Futures Command that will validate forward-looking concepts and emerging missions. Cislunar operations \u2014 defined as activity around the moon \u2014 is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c4isrnet.com\/battlefield-tech\/space\/2024\/02\/28\/space-futures-command-could-begin-limited-operations-this-year\/\" target=\"_blank\">one of the first concepts the command will explore<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speaking March 18 at the Satellite 2024 conference in Washington, D.C., Lt. Gen. Shawn Bratton \u2014 the Space Force\u2019s chief strategy and resourcing officer \u2014 said Space Futures Command\u2019s cislunar work will focus on understanding whether operations in that environment offer military benefits to the service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The plan is to then share that information with Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman and Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think there\u2019s important mission there. I can\u2019t prove that there\u2019s military utility there,\u201d Bratton said. \u201cI think we owe the boss, both Gen. Saltzman and the secretary, a little bit better data that validates that . . . yes, cislunar is critical and here\u2019s how we should use it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The company\u2019s work will focus on identifying the interfaces, resources and funding needed to build such a lunar rail 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