[ad_1]
The Antares rocket carrying the Cygnus cargo spacecraft takes off from NASA’s Wallops flight facility on Wallops Island, Virginia, United States, on February 15, 2020. (Photo by Ting Shen / Xinhua)
“With these contractual awards, the United States is moving forward with the final step necessary 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,” said the NASA administrator.
WASHINGTON, May 1 (Xinhua) – NASA selected three American companies to design and develop human landing systems for the agency’s Artemis program, one of which will land the first woman and the next man on the surface of the moon by 2024. .
The three companies are Blue Origin of Kent, Washington; Huntsville Dianetics, Alabama; and SpaceX of Hawthorne, California, according to an agency statement Thursday night.
The human landing system awards are firm fixed prices, milestone-based contracts, and the total combined value of all contracts awarded is $ 967 million for the 10-month base period, according to the statement.
“With these contractual awards, the United States is moving forward with the final step necessary 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,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine.
“This is the first time since the Apollo era that NASA has direct funding for a human landing system, and we now have companies contracted to do the work of the Artemis program,” he said.
NASA’s business partners will refine their lander concepts throughout the contract’s base period ending in February 2021. During that time, the agency will evaluate which contractor will conduct initial demonstration missions.
Subsequently, NASA will select companies for the development and maturation of sustainable landing systems followed by sustainable demonstration missions. NASA intends to obtain transportation to the lunar surface as commercial space transportation services after these demonstrations are completed, according to the statement.
Accused of returning to the moon in the next four years, NASA’s Artemis program will reveal new insights into the moon, Earth, and the origins of the solar system.
The human landing system is a vital part of NASA’s deep space exploration plans, along with the Space Launch System rocket, the Orion spacecraft, and the Gateway. ■
