It’s been a very long time now since we last stepped foot on the moon. In fact, it’s been nearly 50 years! In a report via TechSpot, however, it seems that NASA is ready to kick things into a whole new gear! How? Well, the official contracts have been handed out for two companies to design the new 21st-century version of the moon lander!
NASA Awards Moon Lander Contracts!
In the report, NASA has confirmed that it has awarded contracts to both SpaceX and Amazon’s Blue Origin to create and design a moon lander craft. While this does in itself suggest that they are taking the moon lander very seriously again, it does get even more interesting.
You see, NASA is planning on both a man and a woman walking on the moon within the next 4 years! As such, with these contracts now awarded, we’re a solid step closer to one of the most critical components of this!
What Do We Think?
Blue Origin has received around $660m from NASA which will reportedly go towards the design of a three-stage lander. While SpaceX has received a comparatively much smaller $135m it’s possible that they may be utilizing this as a potential back-up option if Blue Origin fails to deliver promptly and on-time.
The biggest piece of takeaway news, however, is undoubtedly the fact that with these contracts, NASA’s really pushing to get us back to the moon and considering that the last landing occured well before I was born, I’m more than a little excited about this!
What do you think? Do you think we’ll be back on the moon within 4 years? – Let us know in the comments!
