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NASA has announced plans to open moon lander contract to other competitors as Elon Musk’s SpaceX has experienced delays in the Starship lunar lander timeline.
This announcement proves to be a setback for SpaceX and gives unprecedented opportunity to competitors, including Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origins to land the first astronauts on the moon in half a century.
According to NASA’s acting chief Sean Duffy, “"I am in the process of opening that contract up. I think we'll see companies like Blue get involved, and maybe others.”
These comments reflect the growing race between US and China to mark its first landing on the moon.
The US space agency for months has been facing pressure to speed up its Artemis II program and force SpaceX to make progress on its Starship lunar lander.
The calling for new rivals represents a paradigm shift in NASA’s lunar strategy.
Blue Origin and Lockheed Martin are expected to compete for the mission in a bid to replace SpaceX.
Starship entered an agreement worth $ 4.4 billion with NASA in 2021.
The contract includes a 2027 moon landing deadline, but according to agency advisers, competing priorities could cause delay by years.
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, considers Starship indispensable for his goals related to Starlink satellites launches and Mars mission.
