NASA has chosen Elon Musk’s SpaceX to build the spacecraft that take the first woman and next man to the moon.
The American space agency made the official announcement Friday, which includes SpaceX’s $2.9 billion contract to build the lunar lander that is reportedly much lower than what competitors bid.
The Washington Post shared the news hours before saying the Musk-owned firm beat out Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and Dynetics.
Bezos owns the Post, which branded Musk’s win a ‘stunning victory’ over his Amazon tycoon’s rival effort.
The officials statement from NASA confirms SpaceX will be the only one to take humans back to the moon for the first time since the Apollo mission 48 years ago.
The Washington Post also wrote: ‘The defeat is a huge blow Blue Origin, and to Bezos’.
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NASA has chosen Elon Musk ‘s SpaceX to build the spacecraft that take the first woman and next man to the moon. SpaceX’s HLS Starship will include the company’s tested Raptor engines, along with pulling inspiration from the Falcon and Dragon vehicles’ designs
America has not witnessed a human landing system since 1972 and NASA has been planning an epic return to the moon for quiet some time.
However, the historic moon landing turned into a space race between billionaires when NASA announced last year that SpaceX, Blue Origin and Dynetics were competing to turn the plans into a reality.
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said during a live feed in April: ‘With these contract awards, America is moving forward with the final step needed to land astronauts on the Moon by 2024, including the incredible moment when we will see the first woman set foot on the lunar surface.’
The initial 10-month contracts totaled to $967 million: Blue Origin received $579 million, Dynetics $253 million and SpaceX was awarded $135 million.
The American space agency made the official announcement Friday, which includes awarding SpaceX a $2.9 billion contract to build the lunar lander
According to the Washington Post, which is owned by Bezos: ‘The defeat is a huge blow Blue Origin, and to Bezos, who has long been fascinated by the moon and has for years wanted to be part of the effort to return there.
But now, it will be SpaceX’s innovation that will carry the next two American astronauts the the lunar surface.
The Artemis mission, which is set for 2024, will see four spacefaring heroes board the Orion spacecraft that will be rocketed off to space by NASA’s powerful Space Launch System (SLS).
Once in orbit, two crew members will transfer to the SpaceX human landing system (HLS) and head to the moon.
Blue Origin has been working on moon landing system, known as Blue Moon, since 2017. The firm had designed a mockup for a revised version it planned to send to the moon
After approximately a week exploring the surface, they will board the lander for their short trip back to orbit where they will return to Orion and their colleagues before heading back to Earth.
Kathy Lueders, NASA’s associate administrator for Human Explorations and Operations Mission Directorate, said: ‘With this award, NASA and our partners will complete the first crewed demonstration mission to the surface of the Moon in the 21st century as the agency takes a step forward for women’s equality and long-term deep space exploration.
‘This critical step puts humanity on a path to sustainable lunar exploration and keeps our eyes on missions farther into the solar system, including Mars.’
SpaceX’s HLS Starship will include the company’s tested Raptor engines, along with pulling inspiration from the Falcon and Dragon vehicles’ designs.
The lander will feature a spacious cabin and two airlocks for astronaut moonwalks.
‘The Starship architecture is intended to evolve to a fully reusable launch and landing system designed for travel to the Moon, Mars, and other destinations,’ NASA shared in the announcement.
According to the Washington Post, which is owned by Bezos: ‘The defeat is a huge blow Blue Origin, and to Bezos, who has long been fascinated by the moon and has for years wanted to be part of the effort to return there.
‘He has said that watching Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on the moon when he was 5 years old was ‘a seminal moment’ for him.’
Although Bezos was reaching for the stars, Musk’s SpaceX has actually sent NASA astronauts to space.
On May 2020, SpaceX brought spaceflight back to America by launching NASA astronauts from Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the to the International Space Station (ISS) – an event that has not happened in nearly a decade.
Although Bezos was reaching for the stars, Musk’s SpaceX has actually sent NASA astronauts to space. SpaceX has launched 116 rockets from its Falcon 9 family, with 114 full missions successes
Dubbed ‘Launch America,’ it was also the first time a private company has put astronauts into space.
SpaceX has launched 116 rockets from its Falcon 9 family, with 114 full missions successes.
However, Blue Origin has been working on moon landing system, known as Blue Moon, since 2017.
And Musk has only been developing crafts to go to Mars – all of which have exploded after the first test flight.
This has not stopped SpaceX from moving forward with plans to go to the moon, or the Red Planet for that matter, and said last year it would create a ‘lunar optimized Starship’ would bring crew from lunar orbit to the Moon’s surface under NASA’s Artemis program.
‘A lunar optimized Starship can fly many times between the surface of the Moon and lunar orbit without flaps or heat shielding required for Earth return,’ the company said.
NASA will land the first woman and next man on the Moon in 2024 as part of the Artemis mission
Artemis was the twin sister of Apollo and goddess of the Moon in Greek mythology.
NASA has chosen her to personify its path back to the Moon, which will see astronauts return to the lunar surface by 2024 – including the first woman and the next man.
Artemis 1, formerly Exploration Mission-1, is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will enable human exploration to the Moon and Mars.
Artemis 1 will be the first integrated flight test of NASA’s deep space exploration system: the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the ground systems at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Artemis 1 will be an uncrewed flight that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration, and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond.
During this flight, the spacecraft will launch on the most powerful rocket in the world and fly farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever flown.
It will travel 280,000 miles (450,600 km) from Earth, thousands of miles beyond the Moon over the course of about a three-week mission.
Artemis 1, formerly Exploration Mission-1, is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will enable human exploration to the Moon and Mars. This graphic explains the various stages of the mission
Orion will stay in space longer than any ship for astronauts has done without docking to a space station and return home faster and hotter than ever before.
With this first exploration mission, NASA is leading the next steps of human exploration into deep space where astronauts will build and begin testing the systems near the Moon needed for lunar surface missions and exploration to other destinations farther from Earth, including Mars.
The will take crew on a different trajectory and test Orion’s critical systems with humans aboard.
The SLS rocket will from an initial configuration capable of sending more than 26 metric tons to the Moon, to a final configuration that can send at least 45 metric tons.
Together, Orion, SLS and the ground systems at Kennedy will be able to meet the most challenging crew and cargo mission needs in deep space.
Eventually NASA seeks to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon by 2028 as a result of the Artemis mission.
The space agency hopes this colony will uncover new scientific discoveries, demonstrate new technological advancements and lay the foundation for private companies to build a lunar economy.