NASA last week selected SpaceX to build the commercial human lander for its historic Artemis program.
The Orion spacecraft will carry four astronauts into lunar orbit, where two crew members will transfer to SpaceX’s human landing system (HLS) for the final leg of their journey to the Moon. After a week of exploring the rocky surface, the pair will board the lander and return to Orion and their colleagues for a return trip to Earth.
NASA’s lunar exploration program, authorized in 2017, will land the first woman and next man on Earth’s satellite in 2024, and help establish a sustainable human lunar presence by the end of the decade. Artemis missions are expected to begin this year with the US space agency’s commercial partners.
SpaceX and NASA have worked closely to develop the HLS Starship, ensuring it meets performance requirements and spaceflight standards—from engineering, safety, and health to medical technical areas.
The human landing system, which boasts a “spacious cabin” and two airlocks for moonwalks, takes its cues from SpaceX’s Raptor engines and Falcon and Dragon vehicles. Starship is intended to evolve into a fully reusable launch and landing system, designed for travel to the Moon, Mars, and “other destinations.”
“This is an exciting time for NASA and especially the Artemis team,” Lisa Watson-Morgan, program manager for HLS at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., said in a statement. “During the Apollo program, we proved that it is possible to do the seemingly impossible: land humans on the Moon,” she continued. “By taking a collaborative approach in working with industry while leveraging NASA’s proven technical expertise and capabilities, we will return American astronauts to the Moon’s surface once again, this time to explore new areas for longer periods of time.”
The $2.89 billion contract will, according to NASA associate administrator for Human Explorations and Operations Missions Directorate Kathy Lueders, allow the administration and its partners to “complete the first crewed demonstration mission to the surface of the Moon in the 21st century.” “The agency [is taking] a step forward for women’s equality and long-term deep space exploration,” she added. “This critical step puts humanity on a path to sustainable lunar exploration and keeps our eyes on missions farther into the solar system, including Mars.”
NASA in December announced the 18 men and women who will form its Artemis Team—including Jessica Meir and Christina Koch, who performed the agency’s first all-female spacewalk in 2019.
