SpaceX has unveiled its next-generation spacecraft – a reusable “Starship” capable of transporting crews and cargo to the moon, Mars, etc.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced Friday (16) that it has decided to sign a $2.9 billion contract with SpaceX, the space exploration technology company of corporate tycoon Musk, to build a manned spacecraft to return to the moon, which could send astronauts to the moon as soon as 2024.
According to the Central News Agency, SpaceX beat out rivals including Blue Origin, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and Dynetics, an applied science and information technology company, in the bidding.
The U.S. aims to land another man on the moon in 2024, which, if all goes well, would be the first human return to the moon since 1972.
SpaceX is bidding alone, while Blue Origin is partnering with Lockheed Martin Corp, Northrop Grumman Corp and Draper Inc. Dynetics is a subsidiary of Leidos Holdings Inc.
According to the financial magazine Forbes as of April 6 this year, Bezos and Musk (Elon Musk) ranked 1st and 2nd in the world in terms of wealth, and the two have to compete with each other in the field of space exploration.
After NASA’s announcement, Musk tweeted, “NASA says it all!”
SpaceX also tweeted, “It is with humble hearts that we assist the @NASAArtemis program (@NASAArtemis) in entering a new era of human space exploration.”
NASA had expected to pick two companies in the race for the lunar landing module contract by the end of this month, but ended up picking SpaceX, which will allow NASA and the company to further deepen their cooperation.
Reuters reports that the contract concerns the first commercial manned landing module, part of NASA’s “Artemis” lunar landing program, which NASA says will carry two U.S. astronauts to land on the moon’s surface.
Acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk said in a videoconference, “We should complete the next lunar landing as soon as possible. If they make significant progress, we’ll have a chance in 2024.”
NASA said SpaceX’s Starship manned rocket includes a spacious cockpit and two airlock units for astronauts to walk on the moon (airlocks), and the entire rocket is constructed to serve as a reusable launch and landing system and is designed to be suitable for the moon, Mars and other locations in space.
The United States sent several astronauts to the moon between 1969 and 1972 under the Apollo program. NASA now relies heavily on private enterprise for space exploration.
NASA Human Landing System Program (Human Landing System Program) manager Watson-Morgan (Lisa Watson-Morgan) told the media that NASA will ask SpaceX to conduct a test flight of the landing module before the departure of astronauts to the moon.
NASA said Thursday that it will use SpaceX’s rocket to send astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) on the 22nd of this month.
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