NASA Will Name Companies Selected to Collect Lunar Resources Under Artemis Program

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA will hold a media teleconference Thursday, Dec. 3, at 1 p.m. EST to announce the companies it has selected to collect lunar resources as part of the Artemis program. NASA's Acting Associate Administrator for International and Interagency Relations Mike Gold and Director of Commercial Spaceflight Development Phil McAlister will provide an update on the selections and answer questions from the media.

Audio of the teleconference will stream live online at: 

http://www.nasa.gov/live

To participate in the teleconference, media must contact Stephanie Schierholz at 202-358-4997 or [email protected] by 11 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 3, for dial-in information.

Next-generation lunar science and technology is a key objective for returning to the Moon under the Artemis program and preparing for Mars. The ability to extract and use space resources is critical to support a sustainable human presence on the lunar surface. Companies selected for space resources contracts will collect a small amount of lunar regolith from any location on the Moon's surface and provide imagery to NASA of the collected material, along with data that identifies the collection location. After NASA receives the information, the company will conduct an in-place transfer of ownership of the lunar regolith to the agency, completing the commercial transaction.

Learn more about NASA's space resources effort at:

https://go.nasa.gov/36nNUKI

SOURCE NASA