McCandless Lunar Lander
{{Short description|Proposed robotic lunar lander }}
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{{Infobox spacecraft class
| name = McCandless Lunar Lander
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| manufacturer = Lockheed Martin
| designer = Lockheed Martin
| country = United States
| operator = Lockheed Martin
| applications = Commercial cargo lander
| spacecraft_type = Robotic lunar lander
| design_life = 1 lunar day (14 Earth days)
| launch_mass =
| dry_mass =
| payload_capacity = {{cvt|250|kg|abbr=on}} "Lockheed Martin's McCandless Lunar Lander Capabilities for ISRU Missions." Joshua B. Hopkins, David W. Murrow, Stuart Wiens, and Timothy Linn. Lunar ISRU 2019: Developing a New Space Economy Through Lunar Resources and Their Utilization. July 15-17, 2019, Columbia, Maryland.
| power = 400 W from a single solar array on a boom
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| length = Height: >{{cvt|2|m}}
| status = Designed
| built = 0
| orders = 0
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| derivedfrom = Phoenix and InSight landers
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McCandless Lunar Lander, also known as the McCandless Lunar Delivery Service, is a concept for a robotic lunar lander proposed as one of the commercial cargo vehicles for NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS). The lander was proposed to NASA for funding by the aerospace company Lockheed Martin, and it is based on the successful Mars landers Phoenix and InSight.
Overview
File:Bruce McCandless II during EVA in 1984.jpg (1937–2017), who first used the company's MMU jetpack during STS-41-B in 1984]]
On 29 November 2018, NASA announced the first nine companies, including Lockheed Martin, that are allowed to bid on contracts by the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS).{{cite web |title=NASA Announces New Partnerships for Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Services |url=https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-announces-new-partnerships-for-commercial-lunar-payload-delivery-services |website=NASA.GOV |date=29 November 2018 |publisher=NASA |access-date=November 29, 2018}} These contracts are{{clarify|did LMCO receive one of the three CLPS contracts? the prose does not make this clear?|date=May 2020}} indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contracts with a combined maximum contract value of $2.6 billion during the next 10 years. The contracted landers will transport commercial payloads focused on exploration, in situ resource utilization (ISRU), and lunar science.{{cn|date=May 2020}}
The McCandless lander is named in honor of the late astronaut and former Lockheed Martin employee Bruce McCandless II, who in 1984 performed the first free-flying spacewalk without a lifeline to the orbiting Space Shuttle, using a jetpack built by the company.[https://www.denverpost.com/2018/11/30/next-moon-lander-colorado/ Next moon lander could be made in Colorado]. Marcia Dunn, The Associated Press; Published by The Denver post. November 30, 2018.
Spacecraft
The McCandless lander design is based on the successful Phoenix and InSight Mars landers, designed and built by Lockheed Martin for NASA.[https://finance.yahoo.com/news/lockheed-martin-selected-nasas-commercial-192300235.html Lockheed Martin Selected for NASA's Commercial Lunar Lander Payload Services Contract]. Yahoo Finance. November 29, 2018. The lander is being proposed to the new Commercial Lunar Payload Services program (CLPS) to deliver to the lunar surface up to {{cvt|250|kg}} of usable payload,[https://spacenews.com/nasa-selects-nine-companies-for-commercial-lunar-lander-program/ NASA selects nine companies for commercial lunar lander program]. Jeff Foust, Space News. 29 November 2018. including stationary scientific instruments, small deployable rovers, ISRU experiments, or even sample-return vehicles.
The lander's system incorporates on-board radars and a set of rocket thrusters for deceleration and soft-landing. It will not need the aeroshell and heat shield, as the Moon has no atmosphere. The lander is presently designed to operate for one lunar day (14 Earth days), but upgrades for enduring the lunar nights can be considered depending on mission requirements.