NASA Names Companies to Develop Human Landing System for Artemis Program

   By Stephen Nakrosis 
 

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said Thursday it selected three U.S. companies to design and develop a human landing system for the Artemis program, which is intended to land the first woman and next man on the surface of the Moon by 2024.

NASA said Blue Origin, Dynetics and Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, were selected for the program.

The Blue Origin team includes Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Draper Labs, NASA said, adding Dynetics is a Leidos company.

The human landing system awards are firm-fixed price, milestone-based contracts with a total combined of $967 million for a 10-month base period, NASA said.

NASA said its commercial partners will refine their lander concepts through February 2021, when the contract base period ends.

"During that time, the agency will evaluate which of the contractors will perform initial demonstration missions," NASA said, adding it will "later select firms for development and maturation of sustainable lander systems followed by sustainable demonstration missions."

Write to Stephen Nakrosis at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 30, 2020 14:05 ET (18:05 GMT)

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