Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Notional Deep Space Gateway.
Credit: NASA

NASA has begun to roll out a return to the Moon strategy.

Taking part in a Global Exploration Roadmap (GER) workshop, NASA officials have started to outline potential back to the Moon strategies.

The GER is a publication authored by NASA and the other 14 space agencies that comprise the International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG). The roadmap outlines a phased approach to achieving the common goal of sending humans to the surface of Mars.

Credit: NASA

Additionally, NASA officials are fleshing out use of the cis-lunar situated Deep Space Gateway. Mission concepts for cislunar space, the Moon and Mars and functions that may be suited for possible commercial services are being discussed.

Credit: NASA

Common vision

This new update of the Global Exploration Roadmap features contributions from space agency partners as they share their common vision for missions beyond low-Earth orbit over the next decades, explains Kathy Laurini, NASA senior advisor for exploration and space operations, and current ISECG chair.

“This workshop continues our commitment to engaging with stakeholders in industry and academia to inform GER development,” Laurini adds. “Many of our international partner space agencies will support this workshop and use the opportunity to engage their stakeholder communities.”

Credit: NASA

Collective effort

The ISECG is a voluntary, non-binding international coordination mechanism through which individual agencies may exchange information regarding interests, objectives, and plans in space exploration with the goal of strengthening both individual exploration programs as well as the collective effort.

The third version of the GER is planned for publication in early 2018. The most recent version was published in 2013, and is accessible at: https://go.nasa.gov/1oRhy1z

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