Nasa chooses SpaceX to build Moon lander

Nasa has chosen Elon Musk's company SpaceX to build a lander that will return humans to the Moon this decade.

This vehicle will carry the next man and the first woman down to the lunar surface under the space agency's Artemis programme.

Another goal of the programme will be to land the first person of colour on the Moon, according to BBC News.

The lander is based on SpaceX's Starship craft, which is being tested at a site in southern Texas.

SpaceX was competing against a joint bid from traditional aerospace giants and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, as well as Alabama-based Dynetics. The total value of the contract awarded to Musk's company is $2.89bn.

"With this award, Nasa and our partners will complete the first crewed demonstration mission to the surface of the Moon in the 21st century as the agency takes a step forward for women's equality and long-term deep space exploration," said Kathy Lueders, the organisation's head of human exploration.

"This critical step puts humanity on a path to sustainable lunar exploration and keeps our eyes on missions farther into the Solar System, including Mars."