Musk has “beaten” Jeff Bezos. For the first time in almost 50 years and thanks to the Artemis program, NASA plans to send astronauts back to the Moon and it will be precisely SpaceX (and not Blue Origin or Dynetics) who will develop the first commercial human lander and that, in Ultimately, he will be responsible for bringing the next two American astronauts to the lunar surface. The contract is worth an impressive $ 2.9 billion and the spacecraft aims to send a manned mission to the Moon in 2024.
Bezos called Musk’s election an “impressive victory” over his rival’s effort, in what many have called a “space race between billionaires.”
We haven’t stepped on the moon since 1972
The United States has not witnessed a human landing on our satellite since 1972 with the Apollo program, and NASA has been planning an epic return to the moon for quite some time. The choice of Artemis’s name is not random. Artemis was the twin sister of Apollo and goddess of the Moon in Greek mythology.
The CEO of SpaceX, Elon Musk, was in charge of spreading the news through his social networks and NASA said that it plans to make history with this launch by having at least one astronaut on its mission, which would make this astronaut a the first woman on the moon. (Another objective of the Artemis program includes the landing of the first person of color on the lunar surface.)
“With this award, NASA and our partners will complete the first manned demonstration mission to the surface of the Moon in the 21st century, as the agency takes a step forward for women’s equality and deep space exploration. long-term, “ explains Kathy Lueders, NASA associate administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate.
The main ship
SpaceX’s HLS spacecraft, designed to land on the Moon, relies on the company’s proven Raptor engines and the flying heritage of the Falcon and Dragon vehicles. Starship includes a spacious cockpit and two locks for the astronauts .
The agency’s powerful Space Launch System rocket will launch four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft for their multi-day trip to lunar orbit. There, two crew members will transfer to the SpaceX Human Landing System (HLS) for the final leg of their journey to the surface of the Moon. After about a week exploring the surface , they will board the lander for their short trip back to orbit, where they will return to the spacecraft before returning to Earth.
“This critical step sets humanity on the path to sustainable lunar exploration and keeps our eyes on missions further afield in the solar system, including Mars,” says Lueders.
It is not the only news in recent days regarding NASA. A few weeks ago, the administration of new US President Joe Biden announced a 6.3% increase in the total budget for the space agency, representing an additional $ 24.7 billion for research and exploration. Specifically, the Artemis program has been graced with an additional increase of 325 million dollars more.
We have no doubt that this choice of SpaceX to take humans back to the Moon seems to bring a little closer to the possibility that it is also Elon Musk’s aerospace company that is directing our steps towards the red planet . In fact, several architecture firms are already looking further and working on developing cities that could support a colony on Mars and protect us from its harsh environment.
Reference: NASA
