NASA Awards Four New Lunar Lander Contracts for Moon Base

NASA has awarded four new Phase One lunar lander contracts totaling nearly $600 million as part of its Moon Base program.

NASA advances Moon Base infrastructure with new commercial partners. On June 30, 2026, the agency selected Astrobotic for two awards covering its Peregrine landers 2 and 3. Intuitive Machines received one contract for its IM-4, a Nova-C class vehicle. Firefly Aerospace was chosen to deliver a variant of its Blue Ghost-1 lander.

These missions target no earlier than 2028 and will carry NASA science and technology payloads. The awards build on three earlier landers reclassified from the Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative.

Earlier Moon Base missions form the program's backbone. In March 2026, NASA outlined initial steps at its Ignition event. Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 Endurance, Astrobotic’s Griffin-1, and Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lander were repurposed as the first three Moon Base missions. They are tasked with proving landing capabilities on the lunar surface.

Standard payloads equip each Phase One lander. Every selected vehicle and future Phase One landers will deliver the same core set of three scientific instruments. The Stereo Camera for Lunar Plume Surface Studies uses four cameras and stereo photogrammetry to create 3D views of engine exhaust plumes interacting with lunar dust. The Laser Retroreflective Array reflects beams from orbiters to aid precise orbit determination and landing site selection. The Linear Energy Transfer Spectrometer analyzes the lunar surface radiation environment using an advanced silicon detector.

NASA evaluates repurposed rover for lunar resource prospecting. The agency is exploring sending an engineering development model originally built as a testbed for Mars rovers Curiosity and Perseverance. The Polar Rover for Observation, Mapping and In-Situ Exploration, known as PROMISE, would characterize the lunar surface, subsurface, and prospect for resources. NASA has not finalized the decision.

Lori Glaze, NASA’s associate administrator for the Human Spaceflight Mission Directorate, stated that the awards demonstrate commitment to accelerating long-term lunar presence and developing necessary skills. The overall program aims to build essential infrastructure gradually, leading to sustained human missions under the Artemis framework. This phased strategy mirrors the 1960s approach to the first American lunar landing.