RELATED THREAD: Blue Origin tries again to alter NASA's mind: SpaceX's HLS is high risk
Uh... So now they're covertly admitting Bezos was right, while potentially snubbing him this time around? Where did the extra money that supposedly wasn't available for a 2nd lander suddenly come from?
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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/...rship.html
INTRO: NASA is on the hunt for a second lunar lander - to be used as an alternative to SpaceX Starship - as the agency steps up its plans for longer-term exploration of the moon.
The agency said it will send the first woman and first person of color to the surface of the moon in a SpaceX vehicle, but added that future missions will be split between the Elon Musk-owned firm and whoever wins the bid to build the alternative.
Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin has already confirmed it will enter the race to build the second lander, although it is unclear how well that will be received at NASA. Bezos previously took the agency to court, and lost, over its decision to only award one lander contract - to SpaceX - in the initial round.
Any new lander will have to be able to dock with the lunar Gateway space station, increase crew capacity, and take scientific payloads to the surface of the moon, NASA said.
The first crewed landing is expected to happen by 2026, and will involve the astronauts reaching the moon in an Orion capsule and docking with the Starship Human Landing System - eventually using that module to put two people on the moon's surface.
Future missions are likely to involve a combination of the Starship and the winner of the new contract. The agency said it plans to operate one crewed mission per year until the mid-2030s... (MORE - details)
Uh... So now they're covertly admitting Bezos was right, while potentially snubbing him this time around? Where did the extra money that supposedly wasn't available for a 2nd lander suddenly come from?
- - - - - -
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/...rship.html
INTRO: NASA is on the hunt for a second lunar lander - to be used as an alternative to SpaceX Starship - as the agency steps up its plans for longer-term exploration of the moon.
The agency said it will send the first woman and first person of color to the surface of the moon in a SpaceX vehicle, but added that future missions will be split between the Elon Musk-owned firm and whoever wins the bid to build the alternative.
Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin has already confirmed it will enter the race to build the second lander, although it is unclear how well that will be received at NASA. Bezos previously took the agency to court, and lost, over its decision to only award one lander contract - to SpaceX - in the initial round.
Any new lander will have to be able to dock with the lunar Gateway space station, increase crew capacity, and take scientific payloads to the surface of the moon, NASA said.
The first crewed landing is expected to happen by 2026, and will involve the astronauts reaching the moon in an Orion capsule and docking with the Starship Human Landing System - eventually using that module to put two people on the moon's surface.
Future missions are likely to involve a combination of the Starship and the winner of the new contract. The agency said it plans to operate one crewed mission per year until the mid-2030s... (MORE - details)