After a fierce competition, NASA has chosen a SpaceX rocket to land its astronauts on the moon for the first time in 45 years. A series of conceptual images can reveal why the Elon Musk outfit won the high quality contract.
On Friday, April 16, the agency announced that it had awarded Elon Musk a $ 2.89 billion contract to continue developing the first monthly commercial lander. The company’s proposal, presented last year, uses the fully reusable Starship rocket, which is currently being developed at the SpaceX facility in Texas. The ship will be used to transport two astronauts to the surface of the moon.
“NASA is regulating!” Musk wrote in response to his news Twitter page. “We are honored to be part of the NASA Artemis team.”
Do you want to dig deeper into where Starship is going? Subscribe to READ MUSK + for exclusive interviews and analysis of all things Musk.
NASA chooses Starship
The news is a strong support for SpaceX’s ambitious plans for Starship. The predecessor of the rocket, known as the BFR, was first outlined by Musk at a conference in September 2017. Starship is designed to be a fully reusable rocket capable of sending over 150 tons or 100 people into space to a moment, with the ability to replace all existing SpaceX missiles.
NASA has chosen the rocket to work as a monthly lander in its missions. The agency will launch four astronauts using an Orion spacecraft launched into space by the Space Launch System rocket. The capsule will travel a few days before reaching lunar orbit.
Once in lunar orbit, the capsule will meet with SpaceX’s Starship to allow two astronauts to transfer between ships. The lucky couple will spend about a week on the moon’s surface before boarding the lander and returning to the Orion spacecraft.
“Taking a collaborative approach to working with industry, while leveraging NASA’s technical expertise and proven capabilities, we will bring American astronauts back to the surface of the Moon again, this time to explore new areas for longer periods of time,” said Lisa Watson. -Morgan, program manager for HLS at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, said in a statement.
The Moon mission equipped by SpaceX
The decision came a year after NASA first selected three companies to develop human landers to send astronauts to the moon. Along with SpaceX, NASA also chose Blue Origin and Jeff Bezos, Blue Alabama and Alabama, Dynetics.
The SpaceX proposal, presented at the time, details a monthly version of the starship, complete with NASA logos inscribed on the cone. The proposal highlighted a “spacious cabin” for astronauts and two air blocks for exploring the moon.
In June 2020, Musk also explained that the moored ships will use new legs with a wider position for landing on the rocky surface. It would also throw out extracts, such as windshields and flaps, which are less important for missions to the moon, to increase the amount of payload the ship can carry to the surface.
The new conceptual images contrast sharply with a previous one presented in November 2019, which shows a more complex starship with the flaps mentioned above:
A version of the ship with the NASA logo was seen at the Texas facility in October 2020:
How does the SpaceX Moon lander mission work?
The configuration would use multiple starships to complete the mission. A Starship designed to store fuel will remain in low Earth orbit, where it will provide additional fuel for Starships to complete their journey. The spacecraft that will transport people to the surface of the Moon will launch from Earth, refuel with the help of the starship that stores fuel and will continue its journey to the lunar orbit.
The ship’s lunar and interplanetary missions will use the Super Heavy booster to provide the power needed to leave Earth’s gravity.
Blue Origin’s rival concept, integrated in three stages, also included works from other giants in the industry. Lockheed Martin will build the vehicle’s crew cabin, Northrop Grumman will provide the tools needed to transfer astronauts during docking, and Draper will build navigation and avionics systems.
NASA had the option to choose two models for the 2024 mission, but instead decided to fully commit to the SpaceX proposal.
While the spacecraft will be used to transport people between the moon’s surface and the lunar orbit, SpaceX has much larger targets in mind. He plans to further develop the ship to send the first humans to Mars. Using liquid oxygen and methane as fuel means that astronauts could visit Mars, refuel using the planet’s resources, and return home or venture further.
SpaceX has also produced the conceptual art of a starship that reaches a potential future lunar base:
With Mars on the horizon, the Moon can only be the beginning.
Starship Journey:
SUBSCRIBE TO MUSK READS +, A PREMIUM NEWSLETTER, COVERING THE WORLDS OF ELON MUSK, SPACEX, TESLA AND EVERYTHING.