NASA has unveiled a major expansion of its Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, opening the door for SpaceX, Blue Origin, and six other aerospace companies to compete for up to $10 billion in contracts to deliver cargo and infrastructure to the Moon. The announcement, made at the MAX POWER aerospace expo in Florida, marks a significant step toward establishing a permanent lunar base at the Moon’s south pole.
Expanding the Lunar Supply Chain
The updated CLPS framework now includes SpaceX, Blue Origin, Firefly Aerospace, Intuitive Machines, iSpace US, Lockheed Martin Space, Northrop Grumman Space Systems, and Voyager Technologies as eligible bidders for future lunar missions. The program’s total funding ceiling has been raised to $10 billion over the next decade, though this represents a cap on potential task orders rather than guaranteed funding. NASA also increased its existing CLPS contract limit from $2.6 billion to $4.2 billion to accelerate early Moon base development.
Blue Origin Lands Key Rover Contract
In a separate but related move, Blue Origin secured a $94 million contract to transport NASA’s nuclear-powered PROMISE rover to the lunar South Pole. The mission, which could expand to $234 million with performance incentives, will deploy the six-wheeled rover to study surface and subsurface conditions—including potential water ice deposits. Built by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory using repurposed Mars rover components, the PROMISE rover is scheduled for a late 2028 launch aboard Blue Origin’s Mark 1 lander.
Supporting Infrastructure Takes Shape
NASA also awarded $1.3 billion in transportation task orders to Arrow Science and Technology, Blue Origin, and Impulse Space to test Earth-Moon cargo shuttle technologies. Meanwhile, SpaceX will demonstrate lunar communications capabilities by deploying satellites using its Starship rocket in 2028. Additional contracts went to Honeybee Robotics, Redwire, and Yank Technologies to develop power and communications infrastructure for the lunar surface.
“We are building the Moon Base mission by mission,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “When our astronauts return to the Moon, they will arrive with the first elements of the Moon Base already waiting for them on the surface.” The announcements follow an October 28 meeting between President Donald Trump and NASA leadership to discuss Artemis program progress.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2026/11/09/nasa-announces-10-billion-in-lunar-base-contracts-open-to-spacex-blue-origin/