NASA splashes $45 million to push U.S. space exploration technology

NASA has announced that they are now funding more than a dozen technology projects that could assist with their future plans of landing back on the Moon and Mars.

The funding is sourced from NASA's Artemis Program which plans on landing humans back on the Moon by 2024. According to Jim Reuter, associate administrator of NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate, "These are important technologies necessary for sustained exploration of the moon and Mars. These promising technologies are at a 'tipping point' in their development, meaning NASA's investment is likely the extra push a company needs to significantly mature a capability."

Some of the companies that are lucky enough to be able to receive the funding are Amazon owner, Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin which is focussing on cryogenic technology. NASA will be giving Blue Origin the largest chunk of money to test out a new way of cooling hydrogen and oxygen into liquid fuel. The eventual hopes of Blue Origin is to be able to establish and design a new system that can produce fuel on the moon based on this technology.

Other companies that are among Blue Origin in NASA's funding list are SpaceX which has been working hand-in-hand with NASA for some years on cargo deliveries to the International Space Station. Over the period of three years, NASA will be rolling out this funding to companies but it does come with some minor strings attached. These strings come in the form of stretch goals and certain goal requirements.