Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX recently struck a deal with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to develop the first ever commercial lander.
Elon Musk To Assist NASA To Take Two US Astronauts to Moon
As per the latest reports, the deal between Elon Musk’s SpaceX and NASA is worth $2.9 billion. It is part of NASA’s Artemis Programme which aims to send astronauts to the moon by 2024. This is said to be a stepping stone towards the first human missions to Mars.
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SpaceX has been competing with Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos’s private space company named Blue Origin and another defense contractor Dynetics to strike the deal with NASA. After the decision was announced, Elon Musk took to Twitter to announce his win. In the tweet, he said, “NASA Rules!”.
Elon Musk and NASA To Develop A Fully Reusable Launch and Landing System
The SpaceX Starship which will be a collaborative venture between Elon Musk and NASA will be designed to land on the moon’s surface. It will include a spacious cabin along with two airlocks for moonwalks, a representative from NASA said.
With the partnership between Elon Musk and NASA, the goal is to be able to develop a fully reusable launch and landing system. The system in development will ensure space travel to destinations like the moon and Mars and assist the scientific studies further.
The mission will have four astronauts that will be launched from NASA’s Orion spacecraft into lunar orbit. Out of the four, two will transfer to the SpaceX human landing system and continue their journey to the moon.
The two astronauts who continue to reach to the moon’s surface will explore the lunar surface for a week. And will return to the Earth. They will also become the first people to walk on the moon after more than 50 years.
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Reports suggest that out of these two people, one will be a woman. NASA also aims to bring the first person of color to explore the lunar surface as part of the Artemis Programme.
History records suggest that the US brought 12 astronauts to the moon back within the time period of 1969 to 1972.
