SpaceX’s $2.9 Billion NASA Ship To Land Astronauts On Moon Revealed

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SpaceX's multi billion dollar Starship Human Landing System (HLS) rocket for NASA's Artemis program to land the first humans on the Moon since the Apollo program will have at least two floors and be capable of carrying a crew of 20 astronauts suggest fresh details on X. While SpaceX has been busy testing the full Starship test in Boca Chica, Texas, the firm has shared little details about the $2.9 billion contract that NASA awarded it in 2021 to build the HLS.

Now, according to an educator who recently visited SpaceX's Texas facilities, Starship HLS' early design mock ups include two floors and space sufficient to support 20 astronauts in a space with a 40 feet high ceiling.

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SpaceX's Starship HLS Prototype Features Two Decks With Lower Deck Having A Curved Floor

The Starship prototype X user and educator Tom Blackmore viewed during his visit to SpaceX's Boca Chica, Texas facilities, is a subscale variant of the final HLS ship. Since HLS is in the early stages of design and SpaceX has yet to manufacture the ship, the firm is working with NASA and astronauts to fine-tune its design.

According to Blackmore, the prototype he visited had two floors. The first floor is on top of the ship's tanks and has a curved floor. This floor houses the life support equipment for the crew housing on the floor above, and the curve is big enough to be barely noticeable, according to the educator. At the center of the room is a four feet wide ladder that goes up to the second floor of the Starship HLS prototype.

Viewers can see the floor "curve up the sides under the life support equipment," adds Blackmore. This equipment includes a heat exchanger with tubes that "go out to the AC unit outside."

As for the second floor, this is the deck