SpaceX founder Elon Musk has dropped hints about more moon explorations coming soon.
Despite the exciting information, though, few analysts predict that Moon missions will likely occur not later than 2025 because of several factors, including the month-long dispute between SpaceX and Blue Origin over the Human Landing System.
Elon Musk Hints More Moon Mission
In a previous report, SpaceX won the case involving NASA's Human Landing System after Blue Origin filed a lawsuit against the space agency's decision to solely give the contract to Musk's company.
For those who are not familiar with NASA's Human Landing System, it is part of the Artemis lunar exploration program in which the Human Landing System will be the last mode of transportation that will carry astronauts to the surface of the moon, per NASA. During its early missions, astronauts will spend up to a week inside the enclosed crew cabin portion of the lander.
Since the world's richest man in the world won the said contract, SpaceX will continue working on the world's first commercial human lander, which will securely transport the next two American astronauts to the moon's surface, NASA said in a separate report. One of those astronauts will be the first woman to walk on the Moon. In addition, the Artemis program also aims to land the first person of color on the moon.
In relation to this, Twitter user @fermatslibrary provided the list of people who have walked on the Moon. Surprising the internet community, Musk, who is passionate about bringing the people to the Moon, directly replied to the said tweet and gave hints that the list provided will grow as humanity reaches new heights.
Soon, that list will grow much longer as humanity reaches new heights!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 14, 2021
To give much clarity to the Human Landing System, NASA furthered that four astronauts will be deployed on the Orion spacecraft through the space agency's powerful Space Launch System rocket for a multi-day mission to lunar orbit. Two members of the crew will shift to the SpaceX human landing system for the final leg of their voyage to the Moon's surface. They will board the lander for their short trip back to orbit after spending about a week exploring the surface, where they will meet up with Orion and their colleagues before returning to Earth.
With regards to the firm fixed price, the entire contract award value is $2.89 billion.
Moreover, NASA and its commercial and international partners are traveling to the Moon for scientific discovery and other economic benefits.
Additionally, the Moon mission and other Artemis-related discoveries and advancements will assure that NASA and its partners are prepared for the next big step in human exploration--which is Mars exploration.
Moon Mission Pushes Back in 2025
Because of a financial shortage and a month-long dispute over the landing craft, analysts predict that NASA will likely achieve its goal to land humans on the Moon's surface by 2025 instead of its original target year of 2024, per BBC News.
The said delay was confirmed by the space agency chief Bill Nelson during a press conference last Thursday, in which he partially blamed the landing mission's delay on the lawsuit.
"Returning to the Moon as quickly and safely as possible is an agency priority. However, with the recent lawsuit and other factors, the first human landing under Artemis is likely no earlier than 2025," Nelson furthered on BBC News.
