NASA has selected Blue Origin Aerospace company owned by magnate Jeff Bezos to develop the landing system that would allow astronauts to land on the Moon as part of the Artemis mission.
This is the second contract the US space agency has awarded to develop the technology that will allow humanity to set foot on the lunar surface again, after it awarded the first contract to Elon Musk’s SpaceX in 2021, worth around $3,000 million. dollars (2,774 million euros). ,
Specifically, Blue Origin will develop a “human landing system” for the Artemis V mission that will allow two astronauts to travel from lunar orbit to the satellite’s surface, where they will be able to perform “scientific and exploration activities”. Will spend a week “, according to a statement from NASA.
The SpaceX contract also included development of the landing system that would be used on the Artemis III and IV missions.
NASA chooses the four astronauts who will travel to the Moon after 50 years
The US agency has defended that having two different designs would provide greater strength and ensure a higher rate of trips to the Moon.
“Together, we are investing in the infrastructure that will pave the way to get the first astronauts to Mars,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
Last April, the US space agency, along with the Canadian CSA, announced the members of the Artemis II mission, a woman and three men who will fly around the Moon in November 2024, ushering in a new space age with Mars insights. .
The ten-day mission around the Moon will have Reid Wiseman as commander and Victor Glover as pilot, while astronauts Christina Hammock Koch and the CSA’s latter Jeremy Hansen will serve as mission specialists.
NASA plans to send the first manned mission of the Artemis program to land on the satellite by 2025.
