Collaboration with commercial partners is not out of the question, and the OIG said as much in the report. In a recent tweet, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said his company “could do it if need be,” but further details weren’t given. Indeed, it’s not immediately clear if NASA is interested in SpaceX’s services for the spacesuit project or if this is something SpaceX can actually handle right now. The company is busy at work with the Starship platform, which is expected to serve as the lunar lander.
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As it stands, Artemis III is still scheduled for late 2024. It seems ludicrous, if not tortuous for all the people working on Artemis that a new and more reasonable date has not yet been established. But an announcement of a new target date has to happen soon. Right?