NASA Opens $10 Billion Moon Base Contracts to SpaceX, Blue Origin

A rover for the south pole

One headline mission is the six-wheeled PROMISE rover (Polar Rover for Observation, Mapping, and In-Situ Exploration). It will study the surface and subsurface near the Moon's south pole, where permanently shadowed craters may hold significant water ice. That ice could provide drinking water, oxygen and hydrogen for rocket fuel, reducing what must be shipped from Earth. PROMISE should show where the deposits are, how deep they lie and whether extraction is feasible.

Blue Origin received a $94 million base contract to deliver the rover with its Mark 1 lander. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory will build the vehicle using spare parts and test models from the Curiosity and Perseverance Mars rovers. The 18-month mission is targeted for late 2028.

Transport, communications and power

NASA has also placed six orders worth about $1.3 billion for Earth-Moon and cislunar transport with Arrow Science and Technology, Blue Origin and Impulse Space. They will test navigation systems, cargo-transfer technology and robotic drones that scout landing sites.

SpaceX will run a separate demonstration under its existing lunar logistics contract: in 2028, Starship is to place communications satellites between Earth and the Moon, testing a network for future crewed missions and surface infrastructure. NASA also announced awards tied to power for the planned base, including wireless energy transmission.