NASA has awarded $370 million in tipping point contracts to aid its push to get astronauts back to the moon and then on to Mars. NASA revealed the results of its fifth round of tipping point solicitations on October 14th, announcing awards of more than $370 million to 14 separate companies. NASA Administrator Jim Brittenstein announced the selections during a keynote address at the virtual Fall lunar surface innovation consortium. You know, today we're announcing 15 contracts for further negotiation from 14 different American companies that have an interest in going to the surface of the moon and have an interest in exploring space in new and unique ways. And these 15 contracts represent what we believe will be about $370 million of NASA resources going to these private companies and research institutions and academic organizations. This year's investments focused on three main categories, cryogenic fluid management, lunar surface operations, and autonomous descent and landing capability demonstrations. SpaceX will get $53.2 million for an in-space demonstration that will transfer 11 tons of liquid oxygen between the tanks of Starship Rockets. People refueling the LOWS Rockets in spacecraft to fill their fuel tanks in orbit. According to NASA officials, this capability is necessary to establish a sustainable presence on the moon and enable crude missions to Mars. And I, of course, when we think about companies like SpaceX and the Starship, their architecture is heavily reliant on the ability to transfer cryogenics in low Earth orbit for the purpose of taking a system all the way to the moon. Our system in fact doesn't appear to require a fuel depot around them and their system would require a fuel depot in orbit around the Earth. SpaceX will partner with NASA Glenn Research Center and Marshall Space Flight Center for the technology demonstration. Nearly 70% of the total funding is earmarked for managing cryogenic fluids, such as liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. Along with SpaceX, three other companies won the contract for cryogenic fluid management technology demonstration. Lockheed Martin $189.7 million for an in-space demonstration mission using liquid hydrogen to test more than a dozen cryogenic fluid management technologies. United Launch Alliance $186.2 million for the demonstration of a smart propulsion cryogenic system using liquid oxygen and hydrogen on a Vulcan Centaur upper stage. The system will test precise tank pressure control, tank to tank transfer and multi-week propellant storage. 8.8 space, a Florida-based company, $127 million for a small-scale flight demonstration of a complete cryogenic oxygen fluid management system. The system will be the primary payload on a rocket lab photon satellite and will collect critical cryogenic fluid management data in orbit. NASA has also invested a total of $104 million in 10 different companies for Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative Technology Demonstration. The companies were tasked with developing technologies needed to advance in situ resource utilization, communications, surface power generation, and energy storage. Check out the link in the description for more details. So I think there's two things that are critically important. We need power systems that can last a long time on the surface of the moon and we need habitation capability on the surface of the moon. And of course NASA has been investing in both those capabilities through the Space Technology Mission Directorate and those are both capabilities that are going to be developed with the Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative in the years ahead. So I would say we're going to need power on the surface of the moon and we're going to need habitation on the surface of the moon. NASA also selected a proposal submitted by Mastin Space Systems to demonstrate precision landing and hazard avoidance testing capabilities across relevant lunar trajectories. It is the only company tasked for closed loop descent and landing capability demonstration. Each company must also contribute a minimum percent of the total project cost. Combining NASA resources with industry contributions shepherds the development of critical space technologies while also saving the agency and American taxpayers money. So, let's wait to see how these 14 companies will develop a range of technologies to help forge a path to sustainable Artemis operations on the moon by the end of the decade. Meanwhile, do not forget to subscribe to the channel for more space-related content. And as always, thanks for watching.