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 concept images could reveal why the Elon Musk outfit won the sensational contract.
On Friday, April 16, the agency announced that it had awarded a $ 2.89 billion contract to Elon Musk’s firm to continue developing the first commercial lunar lander. The firm’s proposal, set out last year, uses the fully reusable Starship rocket currently under development at SpaceX’s Texas plant. The ship will be used to transport two astronauts to the lunar surface.
“NASA rules!” Musk wrote in response to the news about his Twitter page. “We are honored to be part of the NASA Artemis team.”
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NASA chooses Starship
The news is a major endorsement of SpaceX’s ambitious plans for Starship. The predecessor of the rocket, known as BFR, was first outlined by Musk at a conference in September 2017. Starship is designed to be a fully reusable rocket capable of sending more than 150 tons or 100 people into space simultaneously, with the ability to replace all of SpaceX’s existing rockets.
NASA has chosen the rocket to work as a lunar lander on its missions. The agency will launch four astronauts using an Orion spacecraft launched by the Space Launch System rocket into space. The capsule will move for a few days before reaching a lunar orbit.
Once it reaches the lunar orbit, the capsule will meet with SpaceX’s Starship so that two astronauts can transport between the ships. The lucky couple will spend about a week on the lunar surface before boarding and returning to the Orion spacecraft.
“By pursuing a collaborative approach to working with industry while leveraging NASA’s proven technical expertise and capabilities, we will bring American astronauts back to the lunar surface, this time to explore new areas for longer periods,” “said Lisa Watson-Morgan, program manager for HLS at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, in a statement.
SpaceX’s crew Moon mission
The decision came one year after NASA first selected three companies to develop human landers to send astronauts to the Moon. In addition to SpaceX, NASA also selected Jeff Bezos’ firm Blue Origin and Dynetics in Alabama.
The spaceX proposal, which was set out at the time, set out a lunar variant of the Starship, complete with NASA logos on the cone. The proposal emphasized a “spacious cabin” for the astronauts and two air locks for exploring the moon.
In June 2020, Musk also explained that moon-bound ships would use new legs with a wider stance to land on the rocky surface. It will also drop extras such as heat shields and valves, which are less important for missions to the moon, to increase the amount of cargo the ship can carry to the surface.
The newer concept images stand in stark contrast to a previous one shown in November 2019, showing a more intricate Starship with the above flaps:
A version of the Starship with the NASA logo was spotted in the Texas facility in October 2020:
How does the SpaceX Moon mission lunar lander work?
The lineup will use several Starships to complete the mission. A Starship designed to store propellant will remain in a low-Earth orbit, where it will provide extra fuel for Starships to complete their journey. The ship that will transport people to the lunar surface will launch from Earth, use fuel with the propellant that Starship stores and continue its journey to the lunar orbit.
Creation and interplanetary missions will use the Super Heavy booster to provide the power needed to leave Earth’s gravity.
Blue Origin’s competitive three-phase integrated Lander Vehicle concept also included work from other giants in the industry. Lockheed Martin would build the vehicle’s crew cabin, Northrop Grumman would provide the necessary tools to transport astronauts during the dock, and Draper would build navigation and aviation systems.
NASA had the option to select two designs for the 2024 mission, but decided to commit themselves fully to SpaceX’s proposal.
While the Starship will be used to transport people between the lunar surface and the lunar orbit, SpaceX has much larger goals in mind. It plans to further develop the ship to send the first humans to Mars. The use of liquid oxygen and methane as fuel means that astronauts can visit Mars, refuel using the planet’s resources, or return home or go further.
SpaceX has also produced concept art from a Starship arriving on a potential future lunar basis:
With Mars on the horizon, the Moon may be just the beginning.
Starship’s journey:
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