More than half a century after the Apollo missions first brought astronauts to the Moon, NASA’s Artemis program is returning humanity to the lunar surface — this time aiming for the Moon’s uncharted south pole and a sustained presence beyond Earth. Artemis is not only a milestone mission, but also a foundational effort to expand the boundaries of human exploration, and it marks the transition from low-Earth orbit to deep space exploration, applying decades of lessons learned to develop sustainable systems for long-duration missions.
Unlike the short-duration Apollo landings, Artemis is designed to establish long-term infrastructure, with Gateway being the first permanent element. This will enable the establishment of a continuous, American-led cis-lunar presence. Gateway, along with surface habitats and mobility systems, will enable both crewed and robotic systems to operate continuously in and around the lunar environment. The Moon’s south pole — with its permanently shadowed regions, deep craters and water ice deposits — offers both scientific opportunity and operational complexity.
The Power and Propulsion Element – A New Foundation for Exploration
Maxar Space Systems is contributing to this endeavor by developing the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE). PPE will deliver power, high-rate communications and advanced solar electric propulsion (SEP), serving as a critical enabler for the Artemis missions. The technical innovations on PPE — including the high-efficiency solar powered propulsion systems and a highly adaptable vehicle design — form the foundation for sustained lunar operations and pave the way for scalable, long-distance exploration that goes beyond the Moon to Mars.
High-Efficiency Propulsion and Power
PPE is equipped with high-performance solar electric propulsion and roll-out solar arrays (ROSAs) capable of generating up to 60 kilowatts of power — three times more than previous solar electric spacecraft, to deliver continuous, efficient thrust over long durations. These arrays can support both propulsion and onboard systems, as well as future modules and visiting spacecraft.
These combined features will enable extended mission duration, precise maneuvering, and station-keeping in lunar orbit. These features also make PPE adaptable for future missions to Mars, where robust power, propulsion, and communications infrastructure will be essential. As NASA and international partners look toward deep space exploration, PPE offers a modular, extensible platform for supporting cargo transport, robotic exploration, and eventual human landings.
Critical Infrastructure Capabilities
In addition to propulsion and power generation, PPE integrates key systems that support the broader Gateway platform, enabling it to function as a reliable operational outpost in lunar orbit.
- Power Distribution Backbone: PPE serves as a distribution node for Gateway, ensuring reliable energy for habitation modules, life support, docking operations, and scientific payloads.
- Lunar and Earth Communications: With high-rate communication systems, PPE provides robust communications capabilities from the Gateway to visiting vehicles, to lunar surface assets and to Earth.
Mission-Enabling Advantages
Ultimately, these integrated capabilities translate into several strategic advantages that make PPE indispensable not only to Artemis, but also to the long-term viability of deep space logistics and exploration.
- Reduced Resupply Burden: The efficiency of SEP reduces the need for heavy chemical propellant resupply, supporting longer missions and minimizing logistical complexity.
- Orbital Flexibility: PPE’s propulsion system allows the Gateway to reposition itself to support missions across various lunar regions — including the resource-rich but challenging south pole.
- Modular and Scalable Architecture: The technologies proven through PPE are extensible to future Mars-bound spacecraft, cargo vehicles, and orbiters — supporting propulsion, communications, and power needs for multi-year trips in deep space.
A Model for Government-Commercial Collaboration
PPE exemplifies a new era of mission-critical collaboration between NASA and industry — one that moves beyond procurement into true co-development. Drawing from Maxar Space Systems’ experience with high-power commercial spacecraft platforms, the program integrates proven industrial capabilities with the unique requirements of human spaceflight. The result is a platform that balances technical rigor with cost-effectiveness and delivery speed.
The development of PPE marks a significant shift in how space infrastructure is built: leveraging commercial standards, design agility, and supply chain efficiencies while maintaining NASA’s stringent mission assurance protocols. This hybrid model shortens development timelines, encourages innovation and creates a more resilient industrial base. It also reflects a growing recognition that sustainable exploration will require scalable partnerships — not just one-off contracts.
By engaging commercial partners early in the architecture phase and aligning incentives around long-term mission goals, programs like PPE are helping define a repeatable model for future government-led and commercially enabled exploration systems. It’s a blueprint not just for Artemis, but also for how public and private entities can co-create the next generation of deep space infrastructure.
Beyond the Moon: Why This Matters
Exploration of the Moon and Mars is not only a scientific pursuit; it is also a driver of technological advancement and global cooperation. Deep space missions compel us to address fundamental questions — about life beyond Earth, resilience in extreme environments and the origins of our solar system. The innovations required for Artemis, including autonomous systems, advanced robotics, and resilient power architectures, often have direct terrestrial applications.
The cornerstone of this being Gateway, which will provide an always-on laboratory operating in deep space to support the research essential for future crewed missions to Mars. Among the many functions it will serve are the continuous collection of radiation data for deep space, which will be critical to develop shielding for long-duration missions. It will also serve as a test bed for technologies designed to support life in a micro-gravity environment. Additionally, Gateway offers a unique opportunity to conduct shakedown tests of mission systems to support missions to Mars, allowing through evaluation before a multi-month Mars transit.
Space exploration fuels inspiration — encouraging the next generation of scientists, engineers, explorers, and fosters collaboration among spacefaring nations.
Artemis represents a transition from symbolic visits to enduring presence. It marks the beginning of a new phase in exploration — one that emphasizes shared infrastructure, iterative learning, and long-range planning. Maxar Space System’s work on Gateway and PPE is a contribution to this broader vision: a future in which transportation between Earth and deep space becomes routine, science is conducted in orbit and on planetary surfaces, and exploration is a collective human endeavor.
Artemis marks the beginning of a new chapter in space exploration, one defined not by flags and footprints, but by presence and possibility. We believe that going back to the Moon is the next “giant leap” toward a future where humanity is not limited to one world. With Gateway and PPE, we are helping write the future where spacecraft travel between planets, where science advances in orbit and where the Moon becomes a steppingstone to Mars and beyond. Because going back isn’t just about where we’ve been. It’s about where we’re going.
This article was written by Chris Coker, VP, Civil Space Programs and Robotics at Maxar Space Systems (Palo Alto, CA). For more information, visit here .
