Elon Musk’s space company SpaceX has won NASA’s $2.9 billion contract to build a moon lander. The spacecraft will ferry astronauts to the moon by 2024, NASA confirmed. The space agency chose Musk’s company over Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and defense contractor Bynetics Inc. SpaceX bid alone, while Blue Origin and Lockheed Martin Corp, Northrop Grumman Corp, and Draper joined forces for the bidding.
Soon after NASA’s announcement, Elon Musk took to his Twitter to tweet: “NASA Rules!!”
NASA awarded the contract for the first commercial human lander that will be a part of its Artemis program. The lander will take two American astronauts to the moon. “We should accomplish the next landing as soon as possible,” said Steve Jurczyk, NASA’s acting administrator. “If they hit their milestones we have a shot at 2024,” Jurczyk added.
NASA said SpaceX’s Starship has a spacious cabin and includes two airlocks for moonwalks. Besides, the spacecraft is designed for reusable launch and its landing system is apt for travel to the Moon, Mars, and other extraterrestrial places. SpaceX will have to make a successful test flight before the actual manned launch.
NASA aims to create a regular service to the moon and also confirmed that a separate competition for that contract will be held. “We have to be able to provide for recurring lunar services,” said Mark Kirasich, deputy associate administrator for NASA’s Advanced Exploration Systems division.
NASA’s announcement comes as a setback for Jeff Bezos, who is now more focused on taking his space company Blue Origin to new heights, after stepping down as Amazon CEO.
The contract could have established Blue Origin as a partner for NASA, also raking in profit for the company in the long run. Musk, on the other hand, has mapped out an ambitious plan for SpaceX, which includes colonizing Mars. However, the company’s main focus right now is launching satellites and space cargo.
