Setbacks expose the risks of Nasa’s ‘go private’ moonshots
Budget constrained agency relies on glitchy start-ups following in the tracks of Elon Musk’s SpaceX
14 January 2024 - 05:52
Two US setbacks this week in the race to the moon with China illustrate the risks of Nasa’s plans to bet on a new strategy of relying heavily on private companies.
Fresh delays in the space agency’s Artemis moon programme and a propulsion issue that doomed American company Astrobotic’s recent robot moon lander illustrate the difficulties faced by the only country to have set foot on the moon, as it tightens budgets while carrying on its cosmic legacy...
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