NASA has issued a request for ‘lunar freezer’ designs that can safely store materials taken from the Moon during planned Artemis missions. According to a request for information (RFI) posted to the federal contracting website sam.gov, the freezer’s primary use will be transporting scientific and geological samples from the Moon to Earth. These samples, the post specifies, will be ones collected during the Artemis program. The post also states that the lunar freezer could be used to store and transport “human biological and physiological samples collected during the missions,” presumably for analysing how spaceflight to the Moon affects astronauts.
NASA writes that it wants the lunar freezer ready by the end of 2027 to be launched aboard its planned Artemis V mission. To make the long journey back to Earth from the Moon’s surface, the lunar freezer should be transportable aboard the vehicles, facilities and spacecraft that future Artemis astronauts will use. These include the future lunar rover, any Moon habitats, the Human Landing System (HLS), the Orion crew module and the Gateway lunar outpost. It must therefore be able to withstand physical forces encountered during launch and landing, such as vibrations and shocks. The freezer should maintain a temperature of -121 degrees Fahrenheit (-85 degrees Celsius) for at least 30 days.
Artist’s illustration showing Artemis astronauts exploring a site near the Moon’s south pole