Riaan Inyanga ebonwe ku-International Space Station ngoJulayi 9, 2018.
Alexander Gerst | NASA
WASHINGTON — Jeff Bezos unethikithi lakhe lenyanga leNASA.
Inkampani yasemkhathini kasozigidigidi, iBlue Origin, iwine inkontileka ebalulekile evela ku-National Aeronautics and Space Administration ngoLwesihlanu yokuthuthukisa isithwebuli senyanga ukuze ilethe osomkhathi enyangeni ngokuhamba kwesikhathi kule minyaka eyishumi ngaphansi kohlelo lwale nhlangano u-Artemis.
Lo mzamo uwuphrojekthi engaphezu kwezigidigidi eziyisi-7 zamarandi. Umklomelo wenkontileka weNASA ubiza ngaphezudlwana kuka-$3.4 billion, kusho izikhulu ngoLwesihlanu, kanti iPhini likaMongameli weBlue Origin uJohn Couluris uthe inkampani izofaka isandla “enyakatho kahle” enanini lenkontileka.
“Senza utshalomali olwengeziwe kwingqalasizinda ezovula indlela yokubeka abantu bokuqala eMars,” kusho umqondisi weNASA uBill Nelson ememezela umklomelo weBlue Origin. “Izifiso zethu esihlanganyela ngazo manje seziphakeme kakhulu kunangesikhathi sikaMengameli [John F.] UKennedy walokotha isizukulwane samaphupho ukuba siye enyangeni.”
Ukuhumusha kweciko komhlanzi wenyanga.
Umsuka Oluhlaza
U-Bezos uthe ku-a tweet ngoLwesihlanu “uhlonishwe ngokuba kulolu hambo no-@NASA ukuze athole osomkhathi eNyangeni – kulokhu ukuhlala.”
Ithimba eliholwa yiBlue Origin – elihlanganisa Lockheed Martin, I-Boeingi-Draper, i-Astrobotic kanye ne-Honeybee Robotics – ibe phezulu esiphakamisweni sethimba eliholwa ngu I-Leidos-Dynetics ephethwe.
ULeidos, esitatimendeni ku-CNBC, uthe “ukusiza i-NASA ngemizamo ekhuthazayo yokubuyela eNyangeni kuzohlala kuseqhulwini.” Le nkampani iqokomise umsebenzi wayo okhona futhi oqhubekayo ezinhlelweni ze-NASA futhi yathi ithimba “lizibophezele ukuqhubeka nokusiza kule mishini ebalulekile.”
I-NASA ithole iziphakamiso ezimbili ezengeziwe zenkontileka ye-SLD kodwa azikho ezibhekwa “njengezihambisana ngokugcwele nezidingo zokucela” futhi zehliswa ngokushesha, uJim Free, umqondisi weNASA ophikweni lokuhlola le nhlangano, ubhale emibhalweni ekhishwe ngoLwesihlanu.
Lo mqhudelwano owaziwa ngokuthi yiSustaining Lunar Development, noma i-SLD, lo mncintiswano wawuyithuba lesibili owahlelwa yi-NASA ngemuva kwalokho. Elon Musk‘s I-SpaceX yiyona kuphela eyawina inkontileka yokuqala yabasebenzi ngo-2021.
Lolo hlelo lokuqala, olubizwa ngokuthi i-Human Landing System, noma i-HLS, lwanikeza i-SpaceX inkontileka yokuthuthukisa okuhlukile kwerokhethi yayo ye-Starship ohambweni luka-Artemis. Ngaphambi komklomelo we-HLS, i-NASA bekulindeleke ukuthi ikhethe abawinile ababili, kodwa isabelomali se-ejensi yangaleso sikhathi kanye nebhidi ye-SpaceX engabizi kakhulu kwaholela ekubeni kube khona owinile oyedwa.
Kokubili i-HLS kanye ne-SLD ziyingxenye yohlelo lwe-NASA lwe-Artemis lokubeka osomkhathi enyangeni, kanti le nhlangano inethemba lokuthi izoqala ukundiza ibheke endaweni yenyanga phakathi neminyaka embalwa ezayo. Ngo December, I-NASA yaqeda umsebenzi wokuqala ka-Arthemisiebingenabo abantu emkhunjini, indiza iSpace Launch System, noma i-SLS, i-rocket ne-Orion spacecraft izungeza inyanga okokuqala ngqa.
Mahhala, lapho echaza ukukhethwa kweNASA, wabhala ukuthi uhlelo lweBlue Origin lubonise amandla “aphoqelelayo” njengokuthunywa okubili kokutholwa kwezindlela okungasebenzanga ngo-2024 nango-2025, ukuvuthwa kobuchwepheshe besigaba sangaphambi kwesikhathi, amandla angaphezu kwamandla omnikazi wendawo uqobo, kanye nentengo “enengqondo nebhalansi”. Ubalule ubuthaka obubili nje esicelweni seBlue Origin, ephawula inkinga ngohlelo lwayo lokuxhumana ngesikhathi sezindiza kanye “nokungqubuzana okuningi nokweqiwa” ohlelweni lwenkampani.
Mayelana neDynetics, amandla aqokonyiswe nguFree ayenganele ukwedlula izingxenye zohlelo lwayo “ezazingaqinisekile” futhi “ezingacacile,” esho. Iphuzu lentengo yenkampani, i-NASA engazange lidalule, nayo “yayiphezulu kakhulu ngenani” kuneBlue Origin, kubhala Mahhala.
I-saga engcolile
U-Elon Musk, umsunguli we-SpaceX, kwesokunxele, kanye nomsunguli we-Amazon kanye neBlue Origin uJeff Bezos.
Izithombe ze-Getty
Ukuncintisana ne-Starship
Ngonyaka odlule, uNelson wachaza isizathu senqubo yesibili yokubhida yokwengeza omunye umhlanzi wenyanga owakhiwe ngasese, ethi, “Ukuncintisana kubalulekile empumelelweni yethu.”
“Singakwazi ukusebenzisa leyo mali ngokusebenza nemboni yezohwebo futhi, ngokuncintisana, sehlise lezo zindleko ku-NASA,” kusho uNelson. ngesikhathi sobufakazi beSenethi ngo-2022.
I-SpaceX iqhubekile nokuthuthukisa irokhethi yayo ye-Starship ecishe ibe ngamafidi angama-400 okwamanje. Inkampani ngo-Ephreli izame ukufinyelela esikhaleni nemoto okokuqala ngqa kodwa yaqhuma phakathi nendiza. Muva nje, uMusk ulinganisele ukuthi i-SpaceX izokwenza sebenzisa cishe amaRandi ayizigidi eziyizinkulungwane ezimbili ekuthuthukisweni kwe-Starship kulo nyaka futhi uthe ulindele ukuthi inkampani ifinyelele ku-orbit ezungeze uMhlaba ngokwethulwa kwayo okulandelayo.
Ngonyaka odlule, i-NASA yanikeza i-SpaceX umklomelo owengeziwe wama-dollar ayizigidi eziyizinkulungwane ezingu-1.15 ngaphansi kwenkontileka ye-HLS, yasebenzisa inketho yokuthenga indawo yesibili yabasebenzi enkampanini. Lokho kulethe inani eliphelele lenkontileka ye-SpaceX’s HLS yafinyelela ku-$4.2 billion ngo-2027.
Kuze kube manje, i-NASA isikhokhe cishe ama-dollar ayizigidi eziyizinkulungwane eziyi-1.8 ku-SpaceX ngaphansi kwe-HLS, ngokusho kwamarekhodi enhlangano.
