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NASA appointed three private companies to develop the next lunar landers that will rise to the surface of the Moon in 2024, and beyond. The three respected contracts include those of Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.
“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,” Jim Bridenstine, NASA administrator, said in a statement.
The three teams, which include Bezos’ Blue Origin, Musk’s Space X, and Dynetics, will each build their own version of a lunar landing system from NASA’s Artemis Base Camp program, with just one to select to advance.
Established to be located in Shackleton Crater at the south pole of the Moon, Artemis Base Camp will provide a long-term sustainable presence on the Moon, while serving as a launch pad for further exploration of Mars, although not The latter is projected to go through at least another decade.
“This will be the next major milestone in the history of human space flight, and we are honored to be a part of it,” Bob Smith, CEO of Blue Origin, said in a statement. “It is time to go back to the Moon, this time to stay.”
NASA has said it plans to work with all three teams over the course of ten months while evaluating the progress of each system. The organization will then select which team will advance to conduct more advanced tests before serving as a lunar lander.
When NASA finally sends its astronauts to the Moon in 2024, it will be the first time that generations of people will witness humans walking off Earth. The association hopes that by building the right infrastructure now (including the lunar lander) that it fosters a long-term, sustainable presence on the Moon.
See also: SpaceX plans to send tourists into space as soon as 2021
