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NASA has suspended its plan to choose which companies will continue to develop lunar landers for the Artemis Moon program.
The agency quietly announced the delay, first reported by the Rod, in a notice of January 27 to the three sales teams participating in the Human Landing System (HLS) program. SpaceX, Blue Origin and Dynetics are developing lunar landers for the agency’s Artemis program, which aims to bring humans back to the moon’s surface by 2024. In the new advisory, NASA revealed that “an extension free of each of their base period contracts be required. ”
NASA awarded all three contracts last year and originally planned to choose two companies to continue the competition by February 28. The extension gives the agency until April 30 to make this decision.
Related: NASA unveils plan for Artemis ‘base camp’ on Moon beyond 2024
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The three contracts total $ 967 million in development funds, SpaceX has received $ 135 million and aims to use its reusable Starship vehicle as a lunar lander; Blue Origin has received $ 579 million and is bolstering its Blue Moon lander for humans with a “national team” comprised of Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Draper; and Dynetics, which is partnering with Sierra Nevada Corp, landed the latest contract, worth $ 253 million, to develop a new double-decker vehicle.
The extension does not give any of the companies additional funding. With this expansion, NASA will have more time to choose which companies are eligible to receive lander development awards.
“This extension is an administrative change and allows the three selected US companies to continue HLS design and development activities as outlined in the companies’ base period contracts, awarded in May 2020,” NASA said.
This move was expected, according to the Verge, as Congressional funding for NASA’s Artemis program has fallen short of requests and President Joe Biden takes over as executive chairman. “NASA’s FY2021 budget request called for $ 3.3 billion for the program, but the final omnibus appropriation bill passed in December provided for $ 850 million,” SpaceNews wrote about Artemis’ funding shortage being the main reason for the decision to postpone this next phase of reduced landing contracts
Now, while $ 850 million is far less than the $ 3.3 billion NASA hopes to stay on track with their ambitious goal of landing humans on the moon by 2024, the agency continues. of “aim for the period 2024”, Kathy Lueders, associate of NASA. administrator of human exploration and operations, said at a Jan. 14 meeting of the NASA Advisory Board, according to Space News.
The Biden administration has yet to comment on its plans for the agency or whether it will meet the 2024 lunar deadline set by former President Donald Trump’s administration, however, the Democratic Party platform has referred when humans return to the moon, according to SpaceNews.
Email Chelsea Gohd at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @chelsea_gohd. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
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