NASA is collaborating with 17 US space companies, including Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, to develop new technologies “for the moon and beyond”

• Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and startup Rocket Lab are among 17 companies collaborating with NASA to develop new technologies for space missions “to the moon and beyond”.

• NASA announced on Monday 20 partnerships in total, all unfunded. The chosen space companies will have access to NASA facilities and expertise.

• “The development of space technology doesn’t happen in a vacuum,” said Jim Reuter, associate administrator of NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate.

• The space industry is booming and is expected to grow by over $ 1 trillion over the next 10 years.

• Visit the Business Insider home page for more stories.

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NASA has selected 17 US companies, including Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, to develop new technologies for space missions, it announced Monday.

In a statement, NASA said it has signed 20 Space Act agreements with 17 companies. No money will be exchanged, but the chosen companies will have access to the facilities and expertise of NASA, which is worth approximately $ 15.5 million.

Space companies chosen range from large aerospace companies like Musk’s SpaceX and Bezos’ Blue Origin to smaller startups like Rocket Lab.

SpaceX will partner with NASA’s Langley Research Center to monitor the temperature of its Starship vehicle in order to develop a reusable thermal shield, NASA said.

Blue Origin will collaborate with NASA on two projects: one to improve the intelligence of space robots and the other to improve rocket engine designs.

New Jersey-based AI SpaceFactory, which received $ 500,000 after winning a NASA challenge in May 2019, is also on the list. The aerospace business will link with the Kennedy Space Center to create a new material for 3D printing, with the goal of building large structures on the lunar surface, NASA said.

These partnerships are part of a program run by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD).

The other space companies are:

• Aerojet Rocketdyne Inc. of Redmond, Washington

• Ahmic Aerospace LLC of Oakwood, Ohio

• Box Elder Innovations LLC of Corinne, Utah

• Cornerstone Research Group Inc. of Miamisburg, Ohio

• Elementum 3D Inc. of Erie, Colorado

• Gloyer-Taylor Laboratories LLC of Tullahoma, Tennessee

• IN Space LLC of West Lafayette, Indiana

• Orbital Sciences Corporation (Northrop Grumman Space Systems Inc.) of Dulles, Virginia

• pH Matter LLC of Columbus, Ohio

• Phase Four Inc. of El Segundo, California

• Sensuron LLC of Austin, Texas

• Space Systems Loral Inc. (Maxar Technologies) of Palo Alto, California

• Stellar Exploration Inc. of San Luis Obispo, California

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Jim Reuter, NASA’s Associate Administrator for STMD, who made the selections, said, “The development of space technology doesn’t happen in a vacuum.

“Whether companies are pursuing their own space initiatives or maturing state-of-the-art systems to one day deliver a new service to NASA, the agency is dedicated to helping bring new capabilities to market for our mutual benefit,” he said.

The space industry has never been more popular. In October, Bank of America said in a new research note that it expects the sector to grow by more than $ 1 trillion over the next decade.

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