SpaceX just got a big contract to launch two pieces of a future lunar space station

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The Artemis program is the US government’s plan to establish a permanent human presence in deep space.

SpaceX will launch “the basic elements of the gateway” – including a cylindrical module that will serve as accommodation for astronauts and a large box-shaped unit that will provide power and communications services to the space station – aboard the l ‘one of its Falcon Heavy rockets “not until May 2024,” NASA said in a press release this week.

The deal makes it clear that NASA’s plans to establish a human settlement on the moon will depend heavily on rockets from SpaceX, which the company has spent years billing as cheaper alternatives to rockets made by legacy launcher vendors such. as United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

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The Falcon Heavy, which looks like three of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets strapped together, debuted in 2018 and drew attention to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s decision to use his cherry red Tesla roadster as a charge. useful dummy for the inaugural launch of the Falcon Heavy. .

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NASA’s Artemis program seeks to bring a male and female astronaut back to the lunar surface by 2024, marking the first time humans have set foot on the moon since the end of NASA’s Apollo program. five decades ago. The name Artemis pays homage to this lineage: in Greek mythology, Artemis is the twin sister of Apollo.

The Gateway Space Station Iis a key part of NASA’s vision for this mission as well as countless future missions as the agency seeks to establish permanent lunar habitat. The bridge, which will be about one-sixth the size of the International Space Station, will provide astronauts with a command center, work space and bedrooms. Spaceships that carry astronauts on lunar journeys will be able to connect to the space station, and from there they can board a lunar lander that will transport them from the front door to the lunar surface.

SpaceX – in addition to having its own separate plans to establish a human settlement on Mars – is expected to support NASA’s Artemis program in other capacities. NASA awarded SpaceX a contract for Dragon XL – an upgraded version of the capsule SpaceX currently uses to transport astronauts and cargo to and from the ISS – to transport supplies to the Gateway station.

SpaceX is also one of many companies competing for the contract to build NASA’s Human Landing System, the vehicle that will transport astronauts from the gate to the moon’s surface.

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