A federal official has announced that a lunar lander contract once given to SpaceX is now open again, because the vehicle that was meant to carry astronauts to the Moon's surface has moved more slowly than hoped. The reopening reflects a familiar tension in human ambition: the wish to return to the Moon for the first time since 1972 colliding with the patience that complex machines demand. Against a backdrop of rivalry with China and a political clock ticking toward January 2029, the question now is less about who dreamed first than about who can actually build the bridge to the lunar south po
NASA Reopens Artemis Moon Lander Contract, Putting SpaceX's Starship Role Under Competitive Review
Starship has yet to reach orbit or attempt midflight refueling
Mark
Why does this contract matter so much?
Mimi
It's the vehicle that actually puts Artemis III astronauts on the surface. Without a lander, Orion just circles the Moon. SpaceX's deal is now worth $4.4 billion.
Mark
And NASA is reopening it because Starship is late?
Mimi
That's Duffy's argument. He says SpaceX is behind schedule, and NASA advisors reportedly think it could slip years.
Luke
That "slip years" estimate comes through Reuters, attributed to advisors. It isn't a NASA announcement, so treat it as one reported assessment.
Mark
What has Starship actually shown?
Mimi
Eleven flights since April 2023, a rough stretch of failures early this year, a June test-stand explosion, then successful flights in August and October. But no orbit yet and no midflight refueling.
Luke
Worth noting that "reopening" is Duffy's stated intention. The reporting doesn't describe a formal solicitation or a timeline, so what it looks like in practice is unknown.
Mark
Who might bid?
Mimi
Blue Origin is expected to, and says it's ready. Lockheed Martin says it will convene an industry team.
Luke
"Expected" is Reuters' word for Blue Origin. Only the statement of readiness is on the record. Nobody has submitted a bid.
Mark
And Musk's response?
Mimi
He says Starship will end up doing the whole Moon mission. That's a promise, not a result.
Le Pouls
- A contract worth $4.4 billion is suddenly back on the table, and the shock is rippling through the space industry.
- Starship's string of test explosions and delays has left NASA's Artemis III timeline hanging by a thread.
- Blue Origin is ready to step in and Lockheed Martin is assembling a team, racing to prove they can deliver a lander first.
- With China pressing forward and a White House deadline set for January 2029, the outcome will be decided by who can move fastest.
A federal official has announced that a lunar lander contract once given to SpaceX is now open again, because the vehicle that was meant to carry astronauts to the Moon's surface has moved more slowly than hoped. The reopening reflects a familiar tension in human ambition: the wish to return to the Moon for the first time since 1972 colliding with the patience that complex machines demand. Against a backdrop of rivalry with China and a political clock ticking toward January 2029, the question now is less about who dreamed first than about who can actually build the bridge to the lunar south pole.
Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy has been telling television audiences that the agency is reopening its Artemis III lunar lander contract, originally awarded to SpaceX in 2021. He says SpaceX does remarkable work but has fallen behind, and that America must move faster in a race against China to return astronauts to the Moon.
The Starship vehicle at the center of the deal is enormous, and its record explains the pressure. Since 2023 it has flown eleven times from Texas, but early 2025 brought three failed flights and a test-stand explosion. It has not yet reached orbit or refueled in flight, and NASA advisers warn it could slip by years. Recent flights have gone better, but the schedule has not caught up.
SpaceX also faces competing demands, since Starship is central to Elon Musk's Mars ambitions and to launching larger batches of Starlink satellites. Opening the contract invites rivals, and Blue Origin, which is already developing its own lander, has signaled it is ready. Lockheed Martin is also gathering an industry team. Musk remains confident, insisting Starship will ultimately handle the whole Moon mission.
The stakes reach past national pride. NASA envisions a lasting base near the Moon's south pole, where water ice could supply drinking water, oxygen, and rocket fuel. Whether competitors can offer a better path, and whether the 2029 target survives, will determine who builds the lander that carries humanity back to the lunar surface.
Sean Duffy has been making the rounds of network news programs, and his message has been consistent: NASA is reopening a contract it awarded years ago to SpaceX. Duffy is NASA's acting administrator and also serves as U.S. transportation secretary. The contract is for the vehicle meant to carry Artemis III astronauts down to the lunar surface, and he says it is now open to competitors.
On Fox News' "Fox & Friends," Duffy said he was in the process of opening that contract up. SpaceX, he said, does remarkable things, but is behind schedule. He later posted on X that the United States is in a race against China and needs the best companies working at a speed that gets America to the Moon first. Duffy has also suggested that President Donald Trump wants the landing to happen before his term ends in January 2029.
The contract was selected by NASA in 2021 and is now worth $4.4 billion. It covers a version of Starship, the roughly 400-foot rocket SpaceX is testing, which is regarded as the world's largest when fully stacked. It combines a Super Heavy booster with an upper-stage Starship vehicle. Under NASA's plan, Artemis III astronauts would ride an Orion capsule into lunar orbit and then board Starship for the trip down. That landing could come no earlier than 2027. Artemis II, a 10-day crewed flight around the Moon with four astronauts, is planned for 2026 as a test of the hardware. The last American landing was Apollo 17 on Dec. 19, 1972.
Starship's record explains the pressure. It has flown 11 times from SpaceX's Starbase in South Texas since April 2023. Early tests generally improved on one another, but three failed flights in early 2025 ended in explosions, and in June an upper stage exploded on a test stand. The vehicle has still not reached orbit, and it has not attempted refueling in flight, which is needed for distant destinations. The August and October flights were successful and hit new objectives, including deploying eight mock Starlink satellites that later burned up. SpaceX has said third-version demonstrations could begin late in 2025 or early in 2026. Reuters reported that NASA advisors have estimated Starship could slip years behind schedule.
Reuters also reported that part of the concern is SpaceX's competing priorities. Starship is central to Elon Musk's plan to send humans to Mars, with a first uncrewed ship possibly leaving as early as 2026 and crewed missions, Musk has claimed, in the 2030s. He also wants it to launch larger batches of Starlink satellites, a job the Falcon 9 has handled for years.
Reopening the contract would expose SpaceX to rivals. Blue Origin, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is widely expected to compete, Reuters reported. It already has a Blue Moon lander, valued at roughly $3 billion, in development under a 2023 NASA award for later Artemis landings. A Blue Origin spokesperson told the USA TODAY Network, "Blue Origin is ready to support." Lockheed Martin confirmed it would convene an industry team to discuss human lunar lander options for NASA.
Musk, who owns X, appeared unworried. Replying to a user, he wrote that SpaceX is "moving like lightning compared to the rest of the space industry" and that Starship "will end up doing the whole Moon mission. Mark my words."
The stakes go beyond a flag-planting. NASA wants a permanent lunar settlement as a step toward Mars, centered on the largely unexplored south pole, where subsurface water ice is believed to exist and could supply drinking water, breathable oxygen and rocket fuel. Watch for what competitors propose and whether the January 2029 target and the race with China change who builds the lander.
Citations marquantes
I'm in the process of opening that contract up. They do remarkable things, but they're behind schedule.— Sean Duffy, NASA acting administrator, on Fox & Friends
SpaceX is moving like lightning compared to the rest of the space industry.— Elon Musk, on X
Envie de l'histoire complète ?
Lire l'original sur USA TODAY ↗
Science & Space