Reference News Network, October 21 report - According to Deutsche Presse-Agentur, on October 20, U.S. Transportation Secretary and Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy said he will reopen a $2.9 billion contract previously awarded to Elon Musk's SpaceX to send American astronauts to the moon.
Duffy said in an interview with CNBC: "I appreciate SpaceX. It is an outstanding company. The problem is that they are behind. They have delayed their schedule, and we are competing with China."
Duffy continued, "President Trump and I both want to achieve a moon landing during this presidential term. So, I will reopen this contract." Trump's term will end in January 2029.
The transportation secretary said he would let "other space companies... such as Blue Origin, founded by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, and SpaceX compete."
"We will choose whoever can get us to the moon first. If SpaceX falls behind and Blue Origin can get there first, then congratulations to Blue Origin."
Duffy continued, "Perhaps two other companies could get us to the moon by 2028... We won't wait for just one company."
According to the Artemis lunar program, NASA aims to send astronauts back to the moon for the first time in 50 years, laying the groundwork for Mars missions.
In 2021, NASA awarded SpaceX a $2.9 billion contract to provide the lander needed for astronauts to land on the moon.
Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX, responded on X that his company has "made progress as fast as lightning" compared to other companies in the U.S. space industry, and stated that its next-generation heavy-lift rocket, Starship, will ultimately complete "the entire moon mission."
Other than SpaceX, several American companies are involved in different aspects of the Artemis program, including Blue Origin, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin. (Translated by Zhao Feifei)
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7563677224608547368/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author. Please express your opinion by clicking the [up/down] buttons below.