 |
| The vehicle is based on SpaceX's Starship design.The new vehicle will be known as the Human Landing System (HLS). (Photo by= NASA) |
[Asia News Communication = Reporter Reakkana] Nasa chose Elon Musk's company SpaceX to build a lander that will return humans to the Moon this decade. BBC said that the vehicle will carry the next man and the first woman down to the lunar surface under the space agency's Artemis programme.
Another goal of the programme will be to land the first person of colour on the Moon. The lander is based on SpaceX's Starship craft, which is being tested at a site in southern Texas. SpaceX was competing against a joint bid from traditional aerospace giants and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, as well as Alabama-based Dynetics. The total value of the contract awarded to Musk's company is $2.89bn. "With this award, Nasa and our partners will complete the first crewed demonstration mission to the surface of the Moon in the 21st century as the agency takes a step forward for women's equality and long-term deep space exploration," said Kathy Lueders, the organisation's head of human exploration.
The Artemis programme, initiated under the Trump administration, had targeted a return to the lunar surface in 2024. But a shortfall in funding of the landing system has made that goal unattainable. Elon Musk has been developing the Starship design for years. Resembling the rocket ships from the golden age of science fiction.
