NASA announces Moon Base updates, Blue Origin makes launch pad progress

• NASA has awarded four new lander contracts to test technology before sending astronauts back to the moon.
• The contracts were awarded to Astrobotic, Firefly Aerospace, and Intuitive Machines under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program.
• A recent explosion of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket has cast doubt on its planned lander launch this year.
• NASA's Moon Base plan will occur in three phases, starting with reliable moon access and culminating in long-term habitation after 2030.

This story has been updated to reflect that the Astrobotic contract for is its Peregrine landers.

Before astronauts return to the moon as part of NASA’s Artemis missions, the space agency is planning multiple lander visits to the moon's surface to test technology and lower the risk before sending crews to a Moon Base.

As part of a June 30 NASA Moon Base update, four lander contracts were announced under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS): two awards to Astrobotic, one to Firefly Aerospace and one to Intuitive Machines.

Carlos García-Galán, NASA’s Moon Base program manager, said the Astrobotic lander is almost complete and ready to undergo testing. A NASA press release estimates this award at $297.9 million for two Peregrine landers.

Meanwhile, NASA estimated contracts for the Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost lander at $144.2 million and Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lander at $148.3 million.

“Being able to see moon base elements getting to the finish line is just awesome,” said García-Galán.

NASA also teased the possibility of sending a rover similar to the Perseverance and Curiosity Mars rovers to the moon. It would be called Promise. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said that while the plan is not yet official, the technology exists and NASA is considering it.

Blue Origin is also developing its first Mark 1 lander, named Endurance. NASA said in May that the lander would launch to the moon in support of the Moon Base by the end of this year.

Days later, Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket suffered an explosive mishap during testing on Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, raising doubt that the lander would launch this year.

Isaacman said NASA is working with Blue Origin closely to understand the company's plans to return to launch capability, as well as considering other options if needed. Blue Origin has since made progress towards clearing the launch pad and on June 30 announced a plan to return to launch as soon as possible.

“Some time has gone by since the anomaly right now, and Blue Origin’s response to the situation is almost beyond impressive,” Isaacman said.

“We're not rebuilding the same pad for New Glenn. We're moving to a horizontal/vertical hybrid configuration to get us flying again this year at 36A,” Blue Origin’s CEO Dave Limp posted to X on June 30.

“We mate the stages horizontally in the Integration Facility (IF). Then we bring the integrated vehicle out to the pad, use a crane to perform the vertical breakover, and mate the payload once New Glenn is vertical,” wrote Limp. “This new ConOps has the added benefit of increasing our flight cadence as well.”

“Plan A was always New Glenn, and Plan A is looking a lot better today than it was weeks ago just based on the progress the Blue Origin team is making,” said Isaacman.

NASA Moon Base timeline

As far as integrating the Moon Base plan into action, García-Galán said there will be there phases.

• Phase one extends through 2029. It will consist of getting to the moon reliably, understanding the environment, and testing technology for long-term infrastructure.
• Phase two begins in 2029. It calls for long-term infrastructure begin to take shape, such as the addition of power sources. NASA plans to issue solicitations for surface power technology and science payload landers beginning in July.
• The final phase begins in 2030 and beyond. It will see the final elements come to life, such as habitation for long-term missions.

Isaacman mentioned it is difficult to get to and operate on the moon, especially the south pole of the moon where the Artemis landings will occur and the Moon Base will reside. Some areas are permanently in shadow and the lack of sunlight makes operations even more difficult. These uncrewed missions set to begin next year will lower the risk for future crewed Artemis missions, NASA said.

“This is drawing on the playbook of what worked very well for NASA during the 1960s,” Isaacman said. “We didn’t just jump right to Apollo 11. Mercury, Gemini, lots of Apollo missions – we want to get back into a rhythm of this.”

Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at [email protected] or on X: @brookeofstars.