SpaceX wins $2.9 bln NASA contract for moon spacecraft -Washington Post

NASA has awarded billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX a $2.9 billion contract to build a spacecraft to fly astronauts to the moon, bypassing Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and defense contractor Dynetics Inc, the Washington Post reported https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/04/16/nasa-lunar-lander-contract-spacex on Friday. The bid by Tesla Inc chief Musk beat one from Amazon.com Inc's founder Jeff Bezos, who had partnered with Lockheed Martin Corp, Northrop Grumman Corp and Draper, the report added.

NASA has awarded billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX a $2.9 billion contract to build a spacecraft to fly astronauts to the moon, bypassing Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and defense contractor Dynetics Inc, the Washington Post reported https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/04/16/nasa-lunar-lander-contract-spacex on Friday.

The bid by Tesla Inc chief Musk beat one from Amazon.com Inc's founder Jeff Bezos, who had partnered with Lockheed Martin Corp, Northrop Grumman Corp and Draper, the report added. Bezos also owns the Washington Post. SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Earlier this week, the rocket company announced it had raised about $1.16 billion in equity financing. Last year, SpaceX, Blue Origin and Dynetics had landed a contract with NASA to build lunar landing systems that can carry astronauts to the moon by 2024, the White House's accelerated deadline under the space agency's moon-to-Mars campaign.

Unlike the Apollo moon landing that happened more than 50 years ago, NASA is gearing up for a long-term presence on Earth's satellite that the agency says will eventually enable humans to reach Mars, leaning heavily on private companies built around shared visions for space exploration.