computer-science
NASA picks Eric Schmidt’s rocket company for Mars mission, setting up a race with SpaceX
Key takeaways
- Relativity Space—a rocket maker acquired by former Google executive chair Eric Schmidt last year after stumbling on the path to orbit—might just beat Space X to Mars.
- On Tuesday, NASA said it hired the company to build a spacecraft to house a suite of scientific instruments, launch it into space, and fly it to Mars.
- The structure of the contract is akin to the deals that NASA made with Space X to fly cargo to the International Space Station, or Firefly Aerospace to put a lander on the Moon.
Relativity Space—a rocket maker acquired by former Google executive chair Eric Schmidt last year after stumbling on the path to orbit—might just beat Space X to Mars.
On Tuesday, NASA said it hired the company to build a spacecraft to house a suite of scientific instruments, launch it into space, and fly it to Mars.
The structure of the contract is akin to the deals that NASA made with Space X to fly cargo to the International Space Station, or Firefly Aerospace to put a lander on the Moon. The government agency handles the science, while the private company provides low-cost infrastructure.
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