Nasa picks Elon Musk’s SpaceX to build spacecraft to return humans to moon

Space agency breaks with tradition by awarding $2.9bn contract to single company in big step' for moon-to-Mars strategy

Nasa has chosen SpaceX to build the next-generation spacecraft that will return humans to the moon, further strengthening Elon Musk's grip on the burgeoning public-private space industry.

The $2.9bn contract to build the lunar lander that will spearhead the Artemis program, Nasa's ambitious project to return to the moon for the first time since the final Apollo mission in 1972, was announced on Friday.