On a May afternoon at NASA Headquarters, the agency took its first concrete step toward a standing presence on the Moon, naming four companies it will pay to build the pieces of a lunar base: two rover makers, a lander builder, and a drone developer. The choices reflect a quiet shift in how America intends to reach the surface, from one-off expeditions toward a patient, repeatable network of machines that scout, carry and wait before people arrive. For one company, Intuitive Machines, the day ended in a sharp fall, a reminder that in this new chapter the Moon is being divided among builders wh
NASA Awards First Moon Base Contracts to Astrolab, Lunar Outpost, Blue Origin and Firefly
Intuitive Machines was left out, and its shares fell nearly 9%.
Mark
So what actually happened on May 26?
Mimi
NASA named the first four companies for its moon base: Astrolab and Lunar Outpost for rovers, Blue Origin to land them, and Firefly to deliver MoonFall hopping drones.
Mark
How much money is involved?
Mimi
$219 million for Astrolab, $220 million for Lunar Outpost, and for Blue Origin a $188 million base period plus $280.4 million in options for the landing missions.
Luke
Those options are not guaranteed spending, though. And Firefly's figure, $75 million, comes from the company describing a JPL subcontract. NASA didn't disclose it.
Mark
Why does the delivery change matter?
Mimi
Before, rover builders had to find their own way to the moon. Now NASA buys the ride through CLPS, so the rovers must stay under one metric ton and fit set volume limits. That's why the designs were scaled down.
Luke
And the 2028 goal is a target, not a commitment. The article says NASA wants either or both rovers there before Artemis 4, and the drone mission is still undecided between three drones or four.
Mark
What about Intuitive Machines?
Mimi
It was left out, and its stock closed at $34.86, down nearly 9% after earlier gains. The company says later LTV task orders remain open to it.
Luke
Worth noting that's the company's own reading. Nothing in the reporting says what future orders will be or whether it will win any.
Mark
And the renamed missions?
Mimi
Three CLPS landers now carry Moon Base names. NASA says that signals extra attention to reliability, including access to its test facilities.
Der Puls
- NASA handed out its first Moon Base contracts, and one prominent lander builder, Intuitive Machines, was left out entirely, sending its shares down nearly nine percent.
- Two rover designs, from Astrolab and Lunar Outpost, were pared down and rushed into service so they can reach the surface before the Artemis 4 crew lands in 2028.
- Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 1 lander is set to carry the rovers, but the first flight this fall must succeed before the rest of the schedule can move.
- Firefly will ferry MoonFall hopping drones to lunar orbit in 2028, where they will drop and scout south pole terrain on their own.
- Intuitive Machines says it can still compete for later rover task orders, so the company's path back into the base effort remains open.
On a May afternoon at NASA Headquarters, the agency took its first concrete step toward a standing presence on the Moon, naming four companies it will pay to build the pieces of a lunar base: two rover makers, a lander builder, and a drone developer. The choices reflect a quiet shift in how America intends to reach the surface, from one-off expeditions toward a patient, repeatable network of machines that scout, carry and wait before people arrive. For one company, Intuitive Machines, the day ended in a sharp fall, a reminder that in this new chapter the Moon is being divided among builders whose fortunes now rise and fall with each name on the list.
On May 26, at a briefing in Washington, NASA named the first four companies it will pay to help build a lunar base. Astrolab and Lunar Outpost will supply rovers, Blue Origin will deliver them to the Moon, and Firefly Aerospace will carry a set of hopping drones. Intuitive Machines, which some investors had hoped would win something, was not among them.
The rover awards total about $219 million for Astrolab and $220 million for Lunar Outpost. Both companies reworked designs they had pitched for NASA's Lunar Terrain Vehicle program, trimming them to be simpler, cheaper to run and ready sooner, as the agency requested in March. The rovers are meant to carry Artemis astronauts, but they must also work alone, scouting landing sites and doing science when no one is there. NASA hopes at least one will be on the surface before the Artemis 4 crew lands in 2028.
The delivery plan changed as well. Rather than arranging their own rides, the rover makers will fly on Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 1 lander through NASA's commercial cargo program, within a one-ton limit. The first Blue Moon mission launches this fall, and the rovers follow in 2026 and 2027, with a VIPER flight in 2027 searching for lunar water and other volatiles.
For Intuitive Machines, the day was a hard one. Its shares rose nearly 20% before the announcement, then closed down almost 9%. Its chief executive, Steve Altemus, said the company remains eligible for later rover orders and will keep pursuing work on the broader Moon Base effort.
The drones, called MoonFall and designed by JPL, will ride Firefly's Elytra Dark spacecraft to lunar orbit and be released at 50 kilometers, then descend on their own to hop across the surface. NASA has not disclosed Firefly's award, though the company points to a $75 million subcontract from JPL. The agency is still deciding whether the 2028 mission carries three drones or four.
NASA also gave three existing landers Moon Base names, and says the label comes with real backing, including test facilities to help make those missions reliable. The next milestones are the Blue Moon launch this fall and VIPER's flight in 2027.
On May 26, at a briefing at NASA Headquarters, the agency named the first four companies it will pay to build toward a lunar base. Astrolab and Lunar Outpost were chosen to develop rovers, Blue Origin to carry those rovers to the moon, and Firefly Aerospace to deliver a set of hopping drones. Intuitive Machines, which had been expected by some investors to win something, was not on the list.
The rover awards are worth $219 million to Astrolab and $220 million to Lunar Outpost. Both are slimmed-down versions of designs the companies pitched last year for NASA's Lunar Terrain Vehicle program. At the Ignition event on March 24, NASA asked for revised proposals that would be simpler, cheaper to operate and ready sooner. Astrolab's entry, the Crewed Lunar Vehicle 1 or CLV-1, descends from its FLEX concept. Lunar Outpost's Pegasus borrows heavily from its larger Eagle rover and follows a design the company says was inspired by the Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle.
The rovers are meant to carry Artemis astronauts but also to run autonomously or by remote control when no one is there. Carlos Garcia-Galan, NASA's program manager for Moon Base, said the agency wants them on the surface prospecting, which includes scouting landing sites and doing science. He described them as a mix between the Apollo rover and a Mars-style rover. NASA's goal is to have either or both on the moon before the Artemis 4 crewed landing in 2028.
The delivery arrangement changed too. Under the original LTV program, rover developers had to arrange their own rides to the moon. Now NASA is using its Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, so the rovers must fit mass and volume limits, including a ceiling of one metric ton. NASA picked Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 1 lander for the job, with a $188 million base period to finalize mission design and buy long-lead hardware. Options worth $280.4 million cover the landing missions themselves. The rover flights follow the first Blue Moon Mark 1 mission, set to launch this fall, and a second in 2027 carrying NASA's VIPER rover, which will look for lunar volatiles.
Intuitive Machines was the third company in the LTV program and also builds landers. Its shares rose nearly 20% during trading before the announcement, then fell sharply once the omission became clear, closing at $34.86, down almost 9% on the day. Chief executive Steve Altemus said the company remains eligible for later LTV task orders and described the day's awards as the opening phase of a broader Moon Base buildout in which the company will keep working with partners and pursuing other opportunities.
The second major award concerns MoonFall, a program unveiled at Ignition for drone-like spacecraft that hop across the lunar surface as scouts for later missions. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory is designing them. Firefly will carry them on its Elytra Dark spacecraft into lunar orbit and release them at 50 kilometers altitude, after which they descend on their own. Garcia-Galan said they should demonstrate takeoff and landing at multiple sites with precision under south pole lighting and terrain. NASA is still deciding whether the 2028 mission will carry three drones or four. NASA did not state Firefly's award value, but Firefly says it holds a $75 million subcontract from JPL.
The briefing was NASA's first update on the lunar base since March 24. The agency is still working through responses to requests for information from that event, while moving ahead elsewhere, including a new contract vehicle, CLPS 2.0, released May 15. Garcia-Galan said planning continues on power, logistics and habitats, to be enabled by what he called mid-sized cargo delivery from CLPS 2.0 landers.
NASA also renamed three existing landers under a Moon Base banner: the first Blue Moon Mark 1 mission is Moon Base 1, Astrobotic's Griffin-1 is Moon Base 2, and Intuitive Machines' IM-3 is Moon Base 3. Garcia-Galan said it is more than cosmetic, with NASA putting its resources, including test facilities, behind their reliability. The next markers are the Blue Moon launch this fall and VIPER's flight in 2027.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
The rovers are a mix between the Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle and a Mars-style rover.— Carlos Garcia-Galan, NASA Moon Base program manager
Today's first LTV task orders are the opening phase of a broader Moon Base buildout.— Steve Altemus, CEO of Intuitive Machines
Möchten Sie die ganze Geschichte?
Das Original lesen bei SpaceNews ↗
Science & Space