Spacex · TechCrunch AI
SpaceX released its IPO on the same day the U.S. sent astronauts to the moon for the first time
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The origins of NASA’s current lunar campaign trace a complicated path back to the second Bush administration, which began developing an enormous rocket and a spacecraft called Orion to return to the moon.
Key facts
- Now, the agency is apparently planning a bake-off: In 2027, NASA will test the ability of Orion to rendezvous with one or both landers in orbit, ahead of two potential landings in 2028
- SLS and Orion were built by NASA’s legacy contractors, Boeing and Lockheed Martin, with a boost from Europe’s Airbus Defense and Space
- When NASA decided to head for the moon again in 2019, the agency felt it had to stick with the SLS and Orion
- Blue Origin was added to the roster in 2023 to build its own human landing system
Summary
SpaceX launched its IPO on the same day the U.S. sent astronauts to the moon for the first time in 54 years. That decision led to a company-saving contract for SpaceX and a rush of venture capital into extraterrestrial technology, and to the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that is now carrying three Americans and one Canadian around the moon and back. Next time around, however, the pressure will be on SpaceX or Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. SLS and Orion were built by NASA’s legacy contractors, Boeing and Lockheed Martin, with a boost from Europe’s Airbus Defense and Space.