SpaceX’s plan to land NASA astronauts on the moon for Artemis III is on shaky ground after the space agency’s head announced plans to open the $4.4 billion contract to other companies.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who is also acting NASA administrator, said on television Monday that NASA would reopen production of the Artemis III lunar lander, specifically name dropping Blue Origin.
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“SpaceX has the contract to build the HLS which will get U.S. astronauts there on Artemis III,” Duffy posted on X.com . “But, competition and innovation are the keys to our dominance in space so @NASA is opening up HLS production to Blue Origin and other great American companies."
While the Space Launch System Rocket will take astronauts to