CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX is celebrating another big victory Friday after NASA announced it awarded a major contract to the company to help develop America’s next lunar lander.
The $3-billion deal means NASA will use SpaceX’s new spacecraft, Starship, to land astronauts on the moon.
Read: SpaceX, NASA give ‘go’ for astronaut launch, 3rd for Dragon
So far, all Starship test flights have ended in the rockets blowing up, but the company keeps testing and building new ones.
NASA plans to land astronauts on the moon again by 2024 as part of its Artemis program.
Officials said two astronauts will make history with the landing, including the first woman to walk on the moon.
Read : SpaceX picked for moonwalkers, on verge of 3rd crew launch
The mission will involve a NASA Space Launch System rocket launching four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft to later use Starship as a lunar lander.
SpaceX plans to build a new Starship model designed to land on the moon. The spacecraft will have a spacious cabin and two airlocks for astronaut moonwalks.
Watch: SpaceX Starship prototype lands after test launch, then explodes
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