Either way, Nelson said he is committed to funding another spacecraft to land astronauts on the moon so that the agency is not reliant on a single provider. In awarding the sole contract to SpaceX, NASA officials said they simply did not have enough funding from Congress to award a second contract, as they had planned. In future missions to the moon, however, the agency has said it would award two contracts so that there is competition between bidders that would drive down cost, as well as ensuring there is a backup in case one of the companies stumbles.

Source: Washington Post May 11, 2021 20:55 UTC