NASA awarded a contract to SpaceX on Friday to build a new capsule to land astronauts on the moon, the latest in a series of lunar-related victories for the Elon Musk-controlled company.
SpaceX defeated two rivals for the Human Landing System’s lunar taxi that will transport astronauts to and from the lunar surface from an orbiting capsule as early as 2024. The contract is part of a larger Artemis program led by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to explore and develop deep space. That program relies more on private sector and commercial financing than previous efforts.
The lander deal adds to the products SpaceX is developing, with recent rounds of funding raising its valuation to nearly $ 100 billion as it pursues a mix of new rockets, space taxis, and an array of hundreds of satellites for military and commercial customers.
SpaceX is already flying astronauts to and from the International Space Station on behalf of NASA and is developing a large new rocket called the Super Heavy to launch the Starship vehicle on which its lunar module is based. The Starship has conducted a series of test flights from Texas, some of which ended in failure after exploding on landing.
NASA plans to release a new Boeing Co. missile as early as November. to be used for a lunar mission known as Artemis 1. It would orbit the moon before the Orion crew capsule, manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corp., returned to Earth.