The agreement for the second lunar landing mission before the end of the decade has signed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX and the US space agency NASA.
NASA chose SpaceX last year to take part in their first lunar mission in 50 years using a Starship spacecraft that had been modified and was still under development. The first moon landing might take place in 2025, and the second one might happen in 2027.
As part of the Artemis 2 mission, NASA’s unmanned Artemis 1 mission will test the spacecraft technology that will be used to launch astronauts to the lunar surface in 2024.
Using Space X’s spacecraft, Artemis 3 is expected to send two astronauts to the moon in 2025, followed by Artemis 4 two years later.
SpaceX has yet to fully test its spacecraft, which will be launched into orbit by SpaceX’s Super Heavy rocket. NASA will construct the Lunar Gateway space station, which will serve as a base for astronauts to live and work while on lengthy missions.
A permanent base for long-term missions and crew stays will be constructed by the space agency on the surface of the moon.
The head of NASA, Bill Nelson, claims that “with multiple planned landers from SpaceX and future partners, NASA will be better positioned to accomplish the missions of tomorrow: conducting more science on the surface of the moon than ever before and preparing for crewed missions to Mars.”
