Recently, NASA announced that the SpaceX Starship had been selected to land humans on the moon under the agency’s Artemis Program. The project has long been in the pipeline as the agency prepares to take its astronauts to the moon once again after many years since the last mission. To develop the project, NASA announced that it will pay the tune of $2.9 billion to SpaceX for the development of the Starship over the next few years. The figure given by NASA may not cover the entire cost of building the ship, but SpaceX plans to cover whatever outstanding cost may come up. The report released to the media is that the Starship will fly to the lunar surface without a manned crew one time in an experimental flight before it flies the astronauts to the Moon.
NASA’s officials believe that the voyage may likely take place in 2024, but for now, the agency is still in the process of conducting a comprehensive review of its Artemis program.


NASA chose SpaceX because it believes that the company's flagship carrier, Starship, has the capacity to make its Moon voyage a successful one. Choosing Starship from among other candidates was done for several reasons, one of which was key. The Starship is a vessel specially built for voyages to Mars but with the capacity to make Moon voyages as well. By investing in Starship, the agency is providing SpaceX with the cash injection to fund its completion. Of all the ships reviewed by NASA, Elon Musk's vessel proved to be the one that was mostly capable.
Two companies made the final list to provide NASA with crew and cargo transportation services. Picking two companies was a strategic move though. The idea was to preserve competition and to control cost. But after much deliberation, it appears that the decision makers have decided to place all their bets on SpaceX which is a very risky move. A move that is backed by SpaceX's success.
Over the last 20, SpaceX has transformed from a small startup into a premier aerospace company. So much so that its technology has become an industry benchmark for Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic to follow. SpaceX has delivered on past NASA contracts, so it is not surprising to see the agency pitching its tent with SpaceX once again. SpaceX has previously handled the transportation of astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station on behalf of NASA without fail, so decision makers probably had more confidence in the company than any other company.