SpaceX wins US$2.9 billion Nasa contract to take humans back to moon
- The spacecraft will carry the two American astronauts to the lunar surface as early as 2024, the US agency announced
- Tesla chief Elon Musk’s private space firm was picked over Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and defence contractor Dynetics
Nasa said on Friday it has awarded billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s private space company SpaceX a US$2.9 billion contract to build a spacecraft to bring astronauts to the moon as early as 2024, picking it over Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and defence contractor Dynetics Inc.
The bid by Tesla Inc chief Musk beat one from Amazon.com Inc’s founder Jeff Bezos, who had partnered with Lockheed Martin Corp, Northrop Grumman Corp and Draper.
The US space agency made the announcement of the contract for the first commercial human lander, as part of the Artemis programme, in a video conference. Nasa said the lander will carry the two American astronauts to the lunar surface.
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“We should accomplish the next landing as soon as possible,” said Steve Jurczyk, Nasa’s acting administrator. “This is an incredible time to be involved in human exploration, for all humanity.”
“If they hit their milestones, we have a shot at 2024,” Jurczyk added.
Nasa said it would require a test flight to the moon before humans make the flight.
“In addition, Nasa is requiring a test flight to fully check out all systems with a landing on the lunar surface prior to our formal demonstration mission,” Nasa official Lisa Watson-Morgan told reporters.