Building a Shared Vision and Approach for a New Generation of Human Spaceflight

Successful human spaceflight is not solely a triumph of research and technology; these missions demand a holistic, integrated approach that weaves together meticulous planning, visionary leadership, strategic guidance and the collective willpower and skills of diverse collaborators. 

With its Artemis campaign NASA plans to return humans to the Moon and establish a cadence of missions starting at the lunar south pole region. These missions aim to establish a long-term human presence in cislunar space to inform future exploration of Mars and other potential destinations in the solar system. The goals and path forward are new, ambitious and involve the capabilities of myriad stakeholders; as such, they require new ways of thinking and planning.  

As a new generation of human spaceflight commences, the path to realizing NASA’s bold deep space human spaceflight goals is paved by crafting integrated mission architectures and supported by a robust lifecycle of planning, execution and continuous refinement. The Aerospace Corporation is playing a vital role in this intricate process, delivering dedicated support for roadmap development that drives the advancement of new systems necessary to meet NASA’s Moon to Mars objectives. 

“Aerospace’s commitment to NASA’s spaceflight missions is not just about advancing technology. It’s about uniting people under a shared vision,” said Stratis Catacalos, Senior Project Engineer at Aerospace’s Human Exploration and Spaceflight (HESF) Division. “By bringing together diverse expertise with a unified approach and standardized processes, we can propel humanity forward, turning distant aspirations into remarkable realities.”

Aerospace’s Contributions to NASA’s Mission Architecture Development

The growing complexity of the space industry has called for a new way of doing business in a number of areas. In recent years, NASA senior leaders have devised a new approach to enhance the planning and execution of human spaceflight missions and programs.

With support from Aerospace, NASA developed the Architecture Concept Review (ACR), a robust analysis process designed to align NASA’s space exploration strategy and codify its supporting architecture. NASA’s ACR drives strategic coordination internally for its Moon to Mars missions, fostering stakeholder consensus across the agency’s senior leadership, mission directorates, centers and supporting programs. It also serves as a transparent communication tool that can extend NASA’s vision and plans with government decisionmakers, international partners, industry leaders, academia and even the general public. 

“This work is about addressing a gap in pre-formulation activities that NASA has and documenting how a capability solution becomes a concept and how that concept then becomes included within the Moon to Mars Architecture,” said Catacalos. “As ACR review manager, it’s been exciting to see how this new process has changed the way NASA does business. In this new model, everyone has a seat at the table and is invested in advancing toward the overarching goal.”

The ACR results in NASA senior leadership approving an Architecture Definition Document, which serves as a “universal plan” of sorts for achieving NASA’s human spaceflight goals and objectives and is updated annually to include new systems and elements in the Moon to Mars Architecture.

Aerospace has been a key contributor to the success of these ACRs since their inception, helping NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate convene stakeholders to align their efforts, resources, and visions. This includes facilitating critical technical feedback, performing configuration management of the ACR products, coordinating logistics for the three-day event involving about 120 VIP participants and structuring discussions to address priority topics. 

“Our trusted partnership with NASA is founded upon objectivity and good stewardship,” said Catacalos. “What we have is a very open forum and lines of communication in which we can say what we really think, which isn’t as common as one might think. This is a new way of doing business, and we’ve been privileged to weigh in with our NASA customers and help drive this change.” 

Facilitating Collaborative Progress: The Moon to Mars Architecture Workshops

To build collaboration with the broader and international space community, Aerospace has also supported multiple Moon to Mars Architecture Workshops, which are intended to strengthen alignment and opportunities for partnership with NASA. 

With the focus and priority set by NASA through the ACRs, these workshops serve as a forum for external partners to provide NASA with feedback on the Architecture Definition Document and its related products. Those partners include international space agencies from across the globe and representatives from commercial industry and academia. Thus far, the workshops have had significant impact, annually bringing together nearly 200 partners from 18 countries, 85 companies and 25 academic institutions. 

Through these gatherings, NASA collects valuable feedback that will inform the ongoing development of Moon to Mars architecture products, including foundational materials such as the publicly available Architecture Definition Document and associated white papers, as well as internal NASA guidance—all of which serve to articulate a shared vision and approach for the next era of space exploration.

“This feedback is ultimately incorporated into the subsequent strategic analysis cycle and ACR, making the workshops an important means of improving the overall process and an indispensable part of the architecture planning cycle,” said Mary Christian “MC” Chester, Program Development Manager within HESF. 

Organizing two ACRs and related workshops within the span of one year was no small feat for the team. In 2023, NASA recognized Aerospace’s contributions by presenting Catacalos with a Silver Achievement Medal Award for outstanding achievement and excellence as the ACR manager while honoring the full team with a Silver Group Achievement Award, citing the outstanding teamwork and integrity demonstrated by Aerospace while ensuring a high standard by which current and future ACRs are leveraged effectively. 

The ACR’s success and favorable reception has created a blueprint for enabling and streamlining coordination across NASA and the broader space community. Aerospace is helping extend the methodology behind the ACR and workshops to support other areas of NASA work and evolving objectives, including two recent companion workshops organized by Chester’s team and held in the United Kingdom and Washington, D.C., to capture feedback from academic, industry and international partners on NASA’s forthcoming Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Microgravity Strategy.

Paving the Way for Future Space Exploration

As NASA continues to push the boundaries of space exploration, Aerospace will continue to support the agency by developing mission products, conducting product reviews, and coordinating annual ACRs. These efforts will be crucial in advancing more complex and successful lunar and cislunar missions and paving the way for an evolving human presence on the lunar surface.

“There is something to be said for the connection and collaboration that the ACR and workshops are creating among leaders in the industry,” said Chester. “There is clear value in getting these leaders in the same room regularly for conversations about priorities and objectives, to create change and maintain momentum. In the coming years, Aerospace’s involvement will be a key in realizing NASA’s vision for the future of space exploration.”