SpaceX has been given a Nasa contract to configure the Ship into a lander that will eventually take astronauts down to the lunar surface.

But it is not the only company working with Nasa. Blue Origin, owned by rival tech billionaire Jeff Bezos, also has a contract to use its New Glenn rocket and lander for the Moon touchdown.

Both companies will also play a key role in the Artemis III mission, which is currently planned for summer 2027 - another challenging schedule.

Four astronauts in Nasa's Orion spacecraft will attempt to dock with both SpaceX and Blue Origin's landers during the voyage.

Starship will need to make a lot of progress in the coming months to meet these commitments - the pace of the rocket's development has been far slower than SpaceX had intended.

But Blue Origin also has much work to do. The company suffered a major setback earlier this year when its rocket exploded, totally destroying its launchpad in Florida.

Blue Origin had said its spacecraft would be back in action by the end of this year, but a return to flight has now been delayed to early in 2027.

Nasa is under pressure to meet its timelines. Its administrator Jared Isaacman has said the US was in a race with China to get to the Moon. China plans to land its Taikonauts on the lunar surface by 2030.

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