NASA asks SpaceX and Blue Origin to transport cargo to the Moon.
It is part of NASA's Artemis mission.
NASA has unveiled its plans for SpaceX and Blue Origin to develop cargo vehicles for its Artemis missions, specifically for transporting heavy equipment to the Moon. The agency has requested SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, to utilize its Starship cargo lander to deliver a pressurized rover to the Moon, with the aim of this mission taking place "no earlier than" 2032. On the other hand, Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos, will be responsible for delivering a lunar habitat, with a launch scheduled for no earlier than 2033. Both initiatives are intended to support NASA's Artemis missions, which aim to return humans to the Moon after more than half a century.
Furthermore, both companies are working on human landing systems for the Artemis missions: SpaceX is developing the system for Artemis III, while Blue Origin is doing so for Artemis V. Subsequently, NASA requested both companies to create versions of their vehicles capable of transporting between 26,000 and 33,000 pounds of equipment and other materials to the Moon.
NASA plans to issue proposals to SpaceX and Blue Origin early next year. Stephen D. Creech, assistant deputy associate administrator for NASA's Moon to Mars program, emphasized that having two lunar landing vehicle providers with different approaches offers greater flexibility in missions and ensures a continuous sequence of lunar landings to foster discovery and scientific opportunities.
