The companies selected by NASA to go to the Moon in the next two years are Astrobotic of Pittsburgh ($79.5 million) scheduled to launch in 2021, Intuitive Machines of Houston ($77 million) scheduled to launch in 2021, and Orbit Beyond of Edison, New Jersey ($97 million)scheduled to launch in 2020.
“Our selection of these U.S. commercial landing service providers represents America’s return to the Moon’s surface for the first time in decades, and it’s a huge step forward for our Artemis lunar exploration plans,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine in a statement.
“Next year, our initial science and technology research will be on the lunar surface, which will help support sending the first woman and the next man to the Moon in five years. Investing in these commercial landing services also is another strong step to build a commercial space economy beyond low-Earth orbit.”
Each space vehicle is slated to deliver NASA payloads involving science and technology. The entire effort is part of an overall goal of returning humans to the moon in 2024.
More details surrounding the launches are available via NASA.