TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – The United States' National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has chosen three private companies to carry out four new missions to the Moon by the end of 2028 as part of the Moon Base program. Astrobotic, Firefly Aerospace, and Intuitive Machines will deliver science payloads to the lunar surface to support NASA's first permanent base development on celestial bodies other than Earth.
NASA's Associate Administrator for Manned Spaceflight Missions, Lori Glaze, stated that the new contracts are worth nearly US$600 million. "This demonstrates our commitment to accelerating efforts to build a long-term presence on the lunar surface, while providing more opportunities to develop the capabilities we need to thrive there," said Glaze in a written statement on June 30, 2026.
Astrobotic secured contracts worth US$297.9 million for two missions, while Firefly Aerospace and Intuitive Machines each received contracts worth US$144.2 million and US$148.3 million for one mission. All missions are part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, which is a key pillar of Moon Base development.
NASA mentioned that the three companies will be utilizing the latest versions of the previously flown lander designs. This approach is expected to increase mission frequency and accelerate lunar landing technology development.
"We are building a test site for Moon Base operations," said NASA's Acting Director for Moon Base Cargo Lander, Ryan Stephan. "Increasing mission booking frequency and launch opportunities to the Moon allows us to move faster to learn, make refinements, and continue to improve capabilities," he added.
In addition to announcing new contracts, NASA is also opening up new opportunities for the American industry to participate in the Moon Base program. The agency is currently considering sending the PROMISE hybrid rover (Polar Rover for Observation, Mapping, and In-Situ Exploration), developed from Mars Perseverance and Curiosity rover technologies, to study the lunar surface, subsurface, and potential resources.
In the coming months, NASA will also request proposals for missions carrying power system and avionics technology demonstrations, additional science payloads, optical imaging at the Moon's South Pole, and communication and navigation relay satellite constellations to enhance communication between Moon Base infrastructure and Earth.
Each announced mission will carry three scientific instruments, namely Stereo Camera for Lunar Plume Surface Studies (SCALPSS) to study the impact of lander engine plume on lunar dust, Laser Retroreflector Array (LRA) to aid in lunar navigation and position determination, and Linear Energy Transfer Spectrometer (LETS) to measure the level and type of radiation in the lunar environment. NASA is also still reviewing the possibility of adding other scientific payloads.
"By flying the same scientific instruments on multiple landers, we will better understand the potential hazards during landing and build a global network of environmental data and location markers on the Moon," said Joel Kearns, Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration at NASA's Science Mission Directorate.
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