New York (dpa-AFX) – US space agency NASA has hired private company SpaceX to develop the first commercial lunar landing device to bring two astronauts to Earth’s satellite. The company announced on Friday (local time) that the order, valued at $ 2.89 billion (4 2.41 billion), is part of NASA’s Artemis program. According to media reports, the lunar mission, which could take place as early as 2024, is expected to be the first manned trip to Mars.
SpaceX won against Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin and security company Dynatics. “We are proud to assist NASA Artemis in the new era of human exploration of space,” SpaceX said. And corporate founders Elon Musk Was excited on Twitter.
The purpose is to bring four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft into lunar orbit, where two will be transferred to the SpaceX landing vehicle for final approach to the moon. So the aim is to create a complete reusable take-off and landing system that can be used for flights to places like the Moon and Mars.
The two astronauts are expected to explore the lunar surface about a week before returning to Earth. One of the two team members is said to be a woman for the first time. In addition, NASA wants to bring non-whites to the lunar surface as part of the Artemis program. The United States was the only country to bring twelve astronauts to Earth’s satellite with the Apollo missions between 1969 and 1972./hct/DP/zb
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