Now, SpaceX continues to press ahead with its human spaceflight program.
Joe Biden’s request to Congress, announced earlier this month, seeks $24.7bn for Nasa, an increase of 6.3% on the previous year, including $6.9bn for Artemis.Īfter the retirement of the space shuttle fleet in 2011, the US was unable to launch humans into space for nine years.
The Trump administration directed the agency to achieve the goal by 2024 but the timeline slipped because of budget cuts. Nasa has said the Artemis program will land the first woman and the first person of color on the moon. The SpaceX bid features its Starship landing system, currently under development. The Artemis program also includes the Space Launch System, the most powerful rocket ever built, and the Orion spacecraft that will ferry crews. And it’s 100% delivered on its capability and price promise so far.”ĭreier calculated that “if SpaceX pulls this off, the US will get a human-capable lunar landing system for 13% the price of Apollo era hardware”. “Of course, SpaceX always acts as if it’s a constant competition with itself.
“Congrats to SpaceX, but honestly shocked Nasa is going with a single provider here,” Casey Dreier, senior space policy adviser, said in a tweet. SpaceX’s SN15 Starship prototype sits on a launch pad, in Boca Chica, Texas, this week.
