NASA awards Moon Base transportation, technology and science projects

NASA announced awards and mission updates to expand its Moon Base capabilities. The agency said the work covers commercial robotic deliveries, the PROMISE rover, launch and orbital transfer services, and surface infrastructure. It supports a sustained presence at the Moon's South Pole.

NASA selected eight companies for the next phase of its CLPS ( Commercial Lunar Payload Services ) initiative. The companies can compete for future lunar surface delivery missions under the new CLPS 2 contract. They will provide delivery services by managing, building, and operating landers that transport NASA payloads to the Moon.

The CLPS 2 framework is a 10-year, multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity master contract with a combined maximum value of $10 billion. NASA increased the current CLPS 1.0 contract from $2.6 billion to $4.2 billion for initial Phase One Moon Base objectives. The original contract remains through November 2028, with an additional five-year period for awarded lunar deliveries through November 2033.

NASA is moving forward with PROMISE (Polar Rover for Observation, Mapping, and In-Situ Exploration). The nuclear-powered, six-wheeled rover will land at the Moon's South Pole to characterize the surface and subsurface, assess resources, and support landing site selection. It will carry a drill to extract regolith from approximately 3 feet (1 meter) below the surface, along with spectrometers, sensors and visible-light cameras. NASA is targeting late 2028 to launch PROMISE and planning an 18-month mission.

NASA awarded Blue Origin a $94 million base contract with an option period worth an additional $140 million based on performance. The award expands a task order from May 2026 to deliver two lunar terrain vehicles. Blue Origin will use its Mark 1 lander to deliver and deploy PROMISE during the Moon Base's first phase.

NASA awarded six task orders under its Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare launch services contract to Arrow Science and Technology, Blue Origin, and Impulse Space. The missions will reduce risks for long-term human spaceflight, survey the lunar South Pole with mobile drones and deliver Moon Base assets, and test navigation technologies and commercial orbital transfers in multiple cislunar orbits. One mission will send CAPSTONE 02 to deep space to test maneuvers, navigation and communications around the Moon. Others will include MoonFall drones and demonstrations intended to increase cargo delivery by future lunar landers. The task orders have a combined value of approximately $1.3 billion and fall under the 10-year VADR contract, which has a maximum total value of $5 billion.