Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., wrote a letter to Jim Bridenstine, NASA administrator and 2019 Wash100 Award recipient, to promote industrial collaboration as the space agency plans to revive manned exploration.
Rubio and Blumenthal want NASA's Artemis exploration program to demonstrate safety measures, produce information on lunar resources and develop technologies for future explorations, with the U.S. space industry, the senators said in a letter posted Tuesday.
"America’s commercial space industry is a key enabler of our nation’s endeavor to return to the Moon and journey on to Mars," the joint statement said.
The letter also put emphasis on the Human Landing System program that calls for the development of technology to facilitate the descent of astronauts to the lunar surface. The senators further noted the need for cargo deliveries to support the country's activities and presence on the lunar surface.
Artemis aims to bring back human presence on the Moon by 2024 in preparation for future manned missions on Mars.
About The Wash100
This year represents our sixth annual Wash100 Award selection. The Wash100 is the premier group of private and public sector leaders selected by Executive Mosaic’s organizational and editorial leadership as the most influential leaders in the GovCon sector. These leaders demonstrate skills in leadership, innovation, achievement, and vision.
Visit the Wash100 site to learn about the other 99 winners of the 2020 Wash100 Award. On the site, you can submit your 10 votes for the GovCon executives of consequence that you believe will have the most significant impact in 2020.
