NASA awards Moon Base contracts
The gist
NASA awarded Blue Origin a $94 million base contract to deliver a nuclear-powered rover to the lunar South Pole.
The awards also fund cargo transport and a power tower for a base NASA aims to start by 2030.
How it unfolded
- Apr 16, 2021NASA awarded SpaceX a $2.9 billion contract to develop and fly two crewed lunar landings with its Starship Human Landing System.
- Nov 15, 2022A contract modification extended SpaceX's scope to a second crewed landing under Artemis IV, adding requirements such as docking with the Lunar Gateway and carrying four crew members.
- May 27, 2026NASA awarded Moon Base contracts to Astrolab ($219 million) and Lunar Outpost ($220 million) for lunar terrain vehicles, while Blue Origin secured lunar delivery task orders worth $188 million.
Key terms
- Artemis program
- A NASA-led international Moon exploration program aiming to return humans to the Moon and build a permanent lunar base.
- Lunar Gateway
- A planned modular space station to be assembled in orbit around the Moon as part of the Artemis program.
- CLPS 1.0
- A NASA program contracting private companies to deliver robotic landers, rovers and payloads to the Moon's surface.
Source: Wikipedia