NASA is taking another major step toward a permanent Moon base with four new commercial missions that will test technology, deliver science, and help prepare for humanity’s future beyond Earth.
NASA has selected three commercial space companies to carry out four new lunar missions in late 2028 through the agency’s Moon Base Program. Astrobotic, Firefly Aerospace, and Intuitive Machines will transport NASA science instruments to the Moon as the agency works toward establishing the first outpost on another celestial body.
“These new awards to our commercial partners, totaling nearly $600 million to land more missions on the Moon with science payloads, demonstrate our commitment to accelerating our effort to build a long-term presence on the lunar surface, and give us more opportunity to develop the skills we need to prosper there,” said Lori Glaze, associate administrator for the Human Spaceflight Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
NASA Awards Nearly $600 Million for Moon Missions
Astrobotic will receive a combined $297.9 million for two lunar deliveries. Firefly Aerospace was awarded $144.2 million for one delivery, while Intuitive Machines will receive $148.3 million for another.
The missions are part of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative, which serves as a central component of the Moon Base effort. Each company will use an upgraded version of a lander design that has already flown, helping NASA increase the frequency of its lunar missions.
“We’re building a proving ground for Moon Base operations,” said Ryan Stephan, NASA’s Moon Base acting director of cargo landers. “Accelerating our Moon mission ordering cadence and launch opportunities enable us to move quickly to learn, iterate, and improve.”
New Rover and Lunar Infrastructure Plans
NASA now has 17 planned lunar surface deliveries spread across several commercial providers. Alongside the latest awards, the agency announced additional ways for American companies to participate in the development of the Moon Base.
One concept under consideration would send PROMISE (Polar Rover for Observation, Mapping, and In-Situ Exploration) to the lunar surface. The rover is a hybrid engineering development version of the Mars Perseverance and Curiosity rovers. NASA specialists will identify possible roles for PROMISE, including studying the Moon’s surface and subsurface and assessing the potential availability of useful resources.
NASA also expects to request proposals in the coming months for landers capable of delivering a power and avionics technology demonstration, another collection of science instruments, and an optical imager for the lunar South Pole.
The agency also plans to issue an open request for Moon Base technology demonstrations. In addition, NASA will seek proposals for a lunar communications and navigation relay constellation that could improve connections between Moon Base systems and Earth.
Preparing for Reliable Lunar Operations
The awards announced June 30 are expected to support the infrastructure required for future operations on the lunar surface. The selected companies will manage procurement, evaluate a comparable previously flown lunar lander, and apply lessons from earlier missions to improve reliability.
Each of the four deliveries will carry the same three NASA instruments to the Moon.
Cameras Will Track Dangerous Lunar Dust
The Stereo Camera for Lunar Plume Surface Studies (SCALPSS) uses four cameras and a method known as stereo photogrammetry to create a 3D view of how a lander’s engine exhaust affects lunar dust during descent.
NASA will gather observations involving different engine sizes, propellants, and landing sites. The resulting high-resolution stereo images will help researchers build models that predict how lunar soil erodes and how dust and debris are thrown across the surface.
Understanding these effects will become increasingly important as larger and heavier spacecraft, equipment, and infrastructure begin landing close to one another.
Laser Markers Will Support Lunar Navigation
The Laser Retroreflector Array (LRA) reflects laser beams sent by lunar orbiters or landing spacecraft. These reflections can help spacecraft determine their orbital position or navigate more precisely toward the surface.
Each cookie-sized device contains eight quartz corner cube prisms mounted in a dome-shaped aluminum frame. It is entirely passive and requires neither power nor maintenance.
Similar arrays have already traveled aboard previous CLPS and international lunar landers. Future missions will continue expanding this network of permanent location markers for lunar exploration.
Radiation Sensors Will Help Protect Astronauts
The Linear Energy Transfer Spectrometer (LETS) will measure radiation during different approaches to the Moon and at multiple locations on the lunar surface.
Based on previously proven hardware, the instrument uses a small advanced silicon detector to measure the energy carried by incoming space radiation. It will reveal both the strength and type of radiation reaching the lunar environment.
NASA needs this detailed information to design safer missions, protect astronauts, and prepare for long-duration exploration.
The agency is also examining whether the landers could carry additional payloads beyond the three standard instruments.
“By flying the same science instruments on multiple landers, we will better understand potential hazards during landing and build out a global network of environmental data and location markers on the Moon,” said Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters. “It’s akin to having weather stations in different locations on Earth. These three payloads are flight-proven, and their data is critical to supporting safe human exploration of the lunar surface.”
Building a Long-Term Human Presence on the Moon
NASA is continuing to develop the Moon Base as a long-term lunar exploration and infrastructure program. Its goal is to support a sustained human presence while expanding scientific research and commercial activity across the lunar surface.
As part of the Golden Age of innovation and exploration, NASA plans to send astronauts on increasingly challenging missions that explore more of the Moon. These expeditions will pursue scientific discoveries, create economic benefits, and strengthen the foundation needed for the first crewed missions to Mars.
Never miss a breakthrough: Join the SciTechDaily newsletter.
Follow us on Google and Google News.