Conceptual Design of a Heavy Cargo Lunar Lander

As humanity witnesses a historic rise in the total payload capability of launch vehicles, the possibility of maintaining a permanent industrial presence in space is becoming increasingly viable. UA Team 25505 and Paragon Space Development Corporation have collaborated to develop a conceptual design for an unmanned lunar lander with heavy payload delivery capabilities surpassing those of any spacecraft in history. The Paragon Lunar Unmanned Super Heavy (referred to as PLUSH), a one-time-use lunar lander, is designed to carry over 100,000 kg of payload to the lunar surface and form part of permanent infrastructure on the moon for years to come. PLUSH will enable customers to transport rovers, mining equipment, exploratory technologies, and more in just one trip, permanently expanding human presence into the stars with unprecedented magnitude.

In addition to this conceptual design, the team has also developed a Reaction Control System (RCS) algorithm, designed to emulate the control logic for the cold gas thrusters mounted on the spacecraft, ensuring proper orientation during landing. The algorithm is demonstrated with a moving RCS prototype.