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NASA Races Rivals to Moon: Billionaires Key to Landing
11 Apr
Summary
- NASA seeks private landers from SpaceX and Blue Origin for lunar missions.
- Artemis program aims for longer Moon stays than Apollo's short visits.
- In-flight refueling is a complex, critical step for new lunar missions.

Following the successful Artemis II mission, NASA is accelerating its timeline for a crewed lunar landing, targeting 2028. The space agency is calling for extensive industry-wide participation to achieve this ambitious goal. NASA plans to utilize privately developed lunar landers from Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin and Elon Musk's SpaceX for the Artemis program's subsequent phases.
This new strategy marks a significant departure from the Apollo era, which involved shorter stays and fewer astronauts. The current Artemis missions aim for longer expeditions and the potential establishment of a lunar base. A critical technological hurdle for these advanced missions is the mastery of in-flight refueling, a complex maneuver essential for the journey to the Moon.