The new moon travel startup Golden Spike has chosen its first contractor to design private lunar lander vehicles: veteran aerospace firm Northrop Grumman.

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If not, hiring a contractor or interactive design specialist is key, he said.

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It's the same reason a housing contractor is likely to design his own home with more care and for less money than he would charge others.

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The contractor is responsible for about 40% of the increase, resulting mainly from the need to change the original design in response to excessive weight and other problems encountered in development.

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The contractor chosen to build the scheme - Laing Construction - was announced in January after public participation to choose the winning design.

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