Eight Firms Compete for $10B Moon Delivery Contracts
The awards to SpaceX, Blue Origin and Lockheed Martin Space set up a decade of lunar missions toward a permanent outpost.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Space
NASA selected eight companies, including SpaceX, Blue Origin and Lockheed Martin Space, to compete for contracts worth up to $10 billion to transport equipment and infrastructure to the moon. The awards support NASA's goal of building a permanent lunar outpost. The development is at the contract-selection stage; no deliveries have been made.
Why it matters
Getting equipment and supplies to the moon is the core constraint NASA is trying to solve by enlisting outside providers. The selection positions commercial landers as the delivery layer for a permanent lunar presence over the next decade.
NASA awarded Blue Origin, Impulse Space and Arrow Science and Technology a combined $1.3 billion for separate mission tasks, and selected SpaceX to launch communications test satellites aboard Starship in 2028. SpaceX's S-1 estimates the moon holds more than 1 million tons of rare materials, a figure the company has not independently verified.
The players
SpaceX
Elon Musk's launch company, which is building the Starship vehicle and has filed an S-1 describing plans for lunar factories.
Blue Origin
Jeff Bezos-founded spaceflight company that received NASA awards for lunar mission tasks and owns Honeybee Robotics.
Lockheed Martin Space
The space division of the aerospace and defense contractor Lockheed Martin, one of the eight companies selected for NASA lunar contracts.
NASA
The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, which is running the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program to build a permanent lunar outpost.
The details
Under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, the selected companies will build and operate landers to carry scientific instruments, technology and infrastructure to the lunar surface. NASA has also awarded work on power generation and wireless power transfer for a planned Mini-Communications and Solar Tower, with Blue Origin-owned Honeybee Robotics among the recipients. SpaceX's S-1 states it intends to build factories on the moon that would use moon-extracted raw materials to manufacture AI satellites.
Timeline
November 7, 2026: NASA announces selection of eight companies for up to $10 billion in contracts.
2028: SpaceX plans to launch communications test satellites aboard Starship.
2029: NASA begins robotic exploration of the lunar south pole to identify infrastructure sites.
2029 to 2032: NASA plans to build power systems, cargo transportation and communications networks on the moon.
After 2032: NASA plans to focus on making the lunar outpost livable for astronauts.
The Tech Race
The selections continue the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, which lets NASA buy lunar delivery from private firms rather than building its own landers. SpaceX's S-1 proposal for moon-based AI satellite factories places it in a race with Blue Origin and Lockheed Martin Space to define the commercial lunar supply chain.
The contracts affect people only indirectly, through the schedule and cost of lunar missions, and no consumer product or service is available from this announcement. Availability of any lunar delivery service depends on the individual mission timelines, which the stub does not confirm beyond the 2028 and 2029 milestones.
The takeaway
Watch whether SpaceX's 2028 Starship communications test satellite launch happens on schedule, since it is an early check on the company's lunar role. NASA's 2029 robotic south pole exploration will show whether the chosen infrastructure sites hold up.
What happens next
NASA plans robotic exploration of the lunar south pole in 2029 to identify infrastructure sites, and SpaceX's Starship test satellite launch is scheduled for 2028.
Further reading
For broader context on how these lunar awards fit into national plans, see the Space section.
