Avascent, a strategy consulting company based in Washington with an office in Ottawa, has been awarded a contract for a Lunar Gateway Utilization Mission Contribution Study.
On February 28, 2019 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canada was committing $2.05 billion over 24 years towards a Moon program. That program would include the Lunar Gateway, an outpost in cislunar space that will be used as a staging point for the exploration of the lunar surface by astronauts as well as for research. Canada is a significant contributor in the area of robotics, with the Canadarm3 as the first contribution. Canada will likely make other contributions including the health of astronauts. Canada will also be sending two astronauts to the Moon, first to circle the Moon as part of the first crewed Artemis flight and on at least one subsequent flight to the Lunar Gateway. The study awarded to Avascent is yet another step towards preparing for the utilization of the Lunar Gateway.
According to the Canadian Space Agency “the purpose of the Work is to develop three Lunar Gateway Utilization complement scenarios (modest, intermediate, and ambitious) that target the business need associated with Gateway Utilization (GU). Each complement must be presented with a set of pros and cons that include an assessment of the level of impact on the desired investment outcomes. Each complement must provide sufficient information (budget, human resources requirements, indicative timeline) to support, in a first instance, the selection of a Gateway Utilization complement, followed by the development of business case for the implementation of a Gateway Utilization portfolio of activities that will compose the said complement.”
Avascent, who in 2014 acquired Futron which published the popular annual Space Competitive Index, was also recently the recipient of a grant from the Canadian Department of National Defence through the Mobilizing Insights in Defence and Security (MINDS) program. The grant will “support a survey and analysis of efforts by the US Department of Defense (DOD) to promote innovation in technology development and adoption, in an effort to draw on new commercial technologies with military application.” Partnering on the grant is the Canadian Global Affairs Institute (CGAI).
The value of the Lunar Gateway Utilization Mission Contribution Study award is $169,500. Avascent has until March 31, 2022 to complete the study.