![]() And indeed, they are now transporting cargo and crew, and it is costing NASA a fraction of what it would have been costing. Along comes SpaceX, and they say we can bring astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station. We reconcile it by recognizing what these companies are contributing to - not only our space program - but to the development of technology. So how do you reconcile that, and how do you convince the public that these are essential programs? The fact that it’s the richest men in the world that we’re talking about here - Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos - and they’re receiving billions of dollars in public funding, that’s a tough pill during such difficult economic times. The question is can they pass it? Stay tuned. And I’ve actually discussed that with members of the House and the Senate. NASA would certainly be eligible to be put into jobs. And a good opportunity is the jobs bill that Congress is considering right now. There is an opportunity for the Congress to do that. Whether it’s military launch contracts or NASA contracts.īut if the GAO rules in favor of those who are protesting the contract, It would potentially really delay the Artemis lunar landing because you would start the contracting process over.īut nevertheless, to your point about money: NASA will need more money to have contract competition continue over the next decade, with many landings on the moon. No, usually, these big contracts like this are contested. Were you surprised they contested the outcome? ![]() ![]() We expect that around the first of August, and then we’ll know. We are in the blackout period that we do not comment on it until the General Accounting Office makes their decision. Do you think they’re right in contesting it? Now, some of the other companies, like Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, are contesting that outcome. Several companies were competing for that contract, but NASA - citing budget constraints - solely awarded the contract to SpaceX. NASA was awarded just a quarter of what it requested for a critical part of Artemis’ architecture, the Human Landing System (HLS). NASA's Artemis program will land the first person of color on the moonĪs for the selection announcement, it won’t be that soon, but it will happen. It was the first space shuttle astronaut class, and we have seen the astronaut corps be very diverse ever since. Interestingly, the first astronauts class where there was considerable diversity of women as well as minorities was the class of 1978. And so there’s gonna be lots of opportunities. There are going to be a number of landings over a 10-year period. The selection of astronauts is going very carefully, but remember it’s not just going to be one landing. What can you tell us about that selection process ? When are we going to learn who these lucky people are? We know that NASA intends to land the first woman and the first person of color on the moon. If it goes over budget, it would be SpaceX that would absorb that cost. So they are betting $3 billion on their own success. They figure that that is going to cost them $6 billion, and they bid roughly $3 billion. Now, remember when it comes to the actual landing of Artemis, that is a fixed-price contract - the one that was awarded to SpaceX. ![]() I think we are going to try to stick to the existing amount that is allocated. Is that a fair estimate? How much do you think the all-in cost of Artemis will be? Oversight officials recently put the cost of Artemis at $86 billion through 2025. There might be a delay, but the goal is late 2024. There’s a number one factor and that’s safety, and it’s involving humans. And we know when you are pushing the edge of the envelope, often there are delays. View of the Moon Limb with Earth Rising on the Horizon Shutterstock
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