#lunar-lander

#lunar-lander

Nammo UK has been selected to supply the main engine for the European Space Agency's Argonaut lunar lander, a major element of the NASA-led Artemis programme that will return humans to the Moon in the early 2030s. The announcement was made at ESA's European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, where senior representatives from ESA, Nammo, Thales Alenia Space, OHB System AG and Thales Alenia Space UK took part in a formal signing ceremony.

As noted by SpaceX, the 49 milestones that were completed by its HLS team were "tied to developing the subsystems, infrastructure, and operations" needed to safely land humans back into the lunar surface. SpaceX noted that it has only received funding on contractual milestones that have been successfully completed, the vast majority of which have been achieved on time or ahead of schedule.

Duffy also cites "maybe others" getting involved. This refers to a third option. In recent weeks, officials from traditional space companies have been telling Duffy and the chief of staff at the Department of Transportation, Pete Meachum, that they can build an Apollo Lunar Module-like lander within 30 months. Amit Kshatriya, NASA's associate administrator, favors this government-led approach, sources said.