SpaceX is bound for the moon, but 2024 goal is now a long shot

Nasa's sole choice of Elon Musk's company for mission has been blamed on budget constraints

Nasa has chosen SpaceX to supply the lander that will take astronauts to the moon as part of the agency's Artemis programme.

The 16 April announcement came as a surprise because the agency had originally planned to award competitive contracts to two companies. Budget constraints have been blamed for the single-contract award. Congress approved $850m (609m) for the lander's development in 2021, which is only about a quarter of Nasa's request. The SpaceX contract is worth a total of $2.89bn and covers a robotic test flight to the moon's surface, followed by the human landing.