NASA Sets $10 Billion Lunar Contract Framework With SpaceX, Blue Origin and Six Rivals
NASA has taken a major step toward establishing a permanent human presence on the Moon, announcing a new Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS 2) contract framework with a maximum ceiling of $10 billion over 10 years.
Eight aerospace companies are eligible to compete for future lunar cargo delivery missions targeting the Moon’s South Pole:
- SpaceX
- Blue Origin
- Firefly Aerospace
- Intuitive Machines
- Lockheed Martin Space
- Northrop Grumman Space Systems
- ispace-US
- Voyager Technologies
Alongside the new framework, NASA awarded Blue Origin a separate $94 million contract, with an additional $140 million performance option, to deliver the agency’s nuclear-powered PROMISE rover to the lunar south pole by late 2028. The mission is slated to use Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 lander.
NASA also increased the ceiling on its existing CLPS 1.0 contract from $2.6 billion to $4.2 billion to support the first phase of Moon base infrastructure.
Overseen by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, the initiative marks a significant expansion of commercial partnerships as the agency works to build long-term lunar infrastructure. The $10 billion figure is an overall spending ceiling for future competitive task orders—not money already disbursed—but it establishes a broad role for commercial companies in supporting America’s return to the Moon.
Source: Fox Business – NASA unveils $10B moon base contract as SpaceX, Blue Origin join lunar gold rush