US plans to build a railway on the Moon

A lunar rail network could carry people, supplies, and resources for commercial activities and contribute to the space economy .

Simulation of the railway system on the Moon. Photo: DALL-E3 — Simulation of the railway system on the Moon. Photo: *DALL-E3*

The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has selected aerospace and defense giant Northrop Grumman to develop a concept for a lunar railway. This is part of a larger 10-year Lunar Architecture (LunA-10) study that DARPA announced last year and includes 14 other companies, Interesting Engineering reported on March 20.

More than 50 years after the last Apollo mission, the US wants to send astronauts back to the Moon. However, the Artemis program aims to not only land on the Moon but also establish a human base and fly further to Mars. While NASA is focused on preparing for a human landing on the Moon, DARPA is looking at what happens after that.

With the LunA-10 project, DARPA hopes to identify solutions for creating multi-mission systems on the Moon. For example, unlike a power plant that performs a single operation on Earth, the lunar power station will also serve as a navigation and communications hub while transmitting power wirelessly. In December, DARPA announced 14 companies participating in the project, including big names like SpaceX and Blue Origin.

Northrop Grumman is the first company to reveal its role in the project and will develop the lunar rail concept. Just as the advent of railroads in the 19th century increased economic activity in the American West, the new technology is expected to spark and sustain economic development on the lunar surface. According to the company, a lunar rail network could transport people, supplies, and resources for commercial projects, contributing to the space economy for the United States and its international partners.

Currently, Northrop Grumman is only responsible for a limited part of the plan, such as identifying resources to build the rail network. This will help identify technical and logistical risks to the project and estimate costs. The contractor will also develop prototypes, analyze design and architectural requirements if the project is fully operational in the future. In the next phase, the company will explore the idea of building and installing track, aligning and operating the system, and using robots for maintenance and repair.

An Khang (According to Interesting Engineering )

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