Bezos, Musk Contracted to Send Astronauts to Moon by '24

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration on Thursday announced companies owned by billionaires Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk have been selected to build lunar landing systems that can bring astronauts to the moon by 2024.

SpaceX, owned by Musk, Blue Origin, owned by Bezos, and Dynetics, an Alabama-based company owned by Leidos Holdings Inc., were all selected as part of NASA's Artemis Program that is seeking to bring "the first woman and next man" to the moon by 2024. The last crewed mission to the moon was Apollo 17 in 1972.

"With these contract awards, America is moving forward with the final step needed to land astronauts on the Moon by 2024, including the incredible moment when we will see the first woman set foot on the lunar surface," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement. "This is the first time since the Apollo era that NASA has direct funding for a human landing system, and now we have companies on contract to do the work for the Artemis program."

Blue Origin will work on the Integrated Lander Vehicle, Dynetics will work on the Dynetics Human Landing System, and SpaceX is working on a lander called the Starship, which will use the company's SpaceX Super Heavy rocket.

"I am confident in NASA's partnership with these companies to help achieve the Artemis mission and develop the human landing system returning us to the Moon," said Lisa Watson-Morgan, human landing systems program manager at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

"We have a history of proven lunar technical expertise and capabilities at Marshall and across NASA that will pave the way for our efforts to quickly and safely land humans on the Moon in 2024."

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