NASA Will Take Elon Musk & Jeff Bezos' Help To Put 1st Woman On Moon In 2024

It seems like the entire world is in a mad rush to get to space right now, whether that's putting humans on Mars, sending satellites out beyond our solar system, and more.

But NASA is trying to put the first woman on the Moon, and they might be getting experienced help.

Images courtesy: Reuters

The US space agency is expected to send the Artemis mission to the Moon in 2024, its second-ever manned visit to our natural satellite. And this time, the mission will carry the first woman to ever make it to the surface.

In order to do that, NASA this week announced it's partnered with 13 private-sector companies on 19 technology development projects. These include the likes of Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin.

It's not that weird to see these two names up there. Though both companies are making their own attempts to get humans to Mars, those missions are probably some time away. In the meantime, (and honestly even without that detail), a NASA contract is very lucrative indeed.

Not directly of course, as these partners are working with NASA free of cost. But any recognition of work with NASA, especially when it comes to developing space technology, means a seal of approval by the US government that other space-faring nations will treat as a certification of quality. That plus the fact that it will likely mean more contracts with the US defense sector.

Blue Origin alone scored 3 of the 19 projects available for the Artemis mission. The private space company will collaborate with NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas and the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland to develop a navigation and guidance system for the Moon landing. Additionally, it will also work with the Johnson Center and the NASA Glenn Research Center in Ohio to develop a fuel cell for Blue Origin's Blue Moon lander, and with Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama and Langley Research Center in Virginia to research materials for rocket engine nozzles.

SpaceX meanwhile landed two contracts, including one to transfer propellant from a supply ship to a rocket in orbit. That's a key part of SpaceX's 'Starship' program, which will see rockets to Mars and the like launching into orbit light on fuel, and then resupplying from a Moon base. SpaceX will also be working with the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on vertical landing technology.

"NASA's proven experience and unique facilities are helping commercial companies mature their technologies at a competitive pace," Jim Reuter, associate administrator of NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD), said in a statement on Tuesday. "We've identified technology areas NASA needs for future missions, and these public-private partnerships will accelerate their development so we can implement them faster."