NASA will buy lunar soil from private companies

NASA will purchase samples of lunar soil from private contractors, he said in his blog

He noted that this is part of a project to return astronauts to the moon in 2024 and ensure a sustainable human exploration presence there.NASA is asking commercial companies to submit their proposals for collecting small amounts of rocks or soil "from anywhere" on the surface of the moon, along with a photo of the collection process and the resulting sample.

At the same time, companies are only asked to collect material- they should not be held responsible for returning samples to Earth for study. They will have to "on the spot" transfer the collected samples to the agency. Details of how this will happen, NASA promised to provide later.

It turned out that the Moon is covered with rust.

NASA wants material search and transferoccurred before 2024. The offer is open not only to American private companies, while NASA has promised not only payment under the contract, but also a separate reward for the successful completion of the mission. The winning companies will receive 10% of the total contract value in advance, another 10% at the launch of their search engine, and the remaining 80% after the sample is collected and handed over.

TechCrunch reporters note that thisdozens of companies that offer the collection of extraterrestrial materials can apply for the contract. At the same time, the American space agency and the European Space Agency have already developed a plan according to which in 2031 it will be possible to deliver samples of the Martian rock to Earth for the first time.

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