WORLDTECHNASA Picks Eight Firms for Moon Cargo Landers, Advances Nuclear Rover
NASA has announced a set of awards and mission updates for its Moon Base programme, including eight companies chosen for the next phase of its lunar cargo lander initiative and continued work on PROMISE, a nuclear-powered rover intended for the Moon's South Pole.
Eight companies chosen for the next lander phase
The agency selected eight companies for the next phase of its Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, a step meant to reinforce the network of cargo landers the Moon Base will depend on. Those firms may now bid for future lunar surface delivery missions under the new CLPS 2 contract, and the list includes Blue Origin, Firefly Aerospace, Intuitive Machines and ispace-U.S.
CLPS 2 is a ten-year framework with several award recipients and indefinite delivery and quantity terms, carrying a combined maximum value of $10 billion. The current CLPS 1.0 contract stays in force through November 2028, with a further five years to complete awarded lunar deliveries through November 2033, and its value has been raised from $2.6 billion to $4.2 billion to support the first Phase One Moon Base objectives.
Nuclear rover booked for a late 2028 launch
NASA has arranged a ride to the lunar South Pole for PROMISE, the Polar Rover for Observation, Mapping, and In-Situ Exploration. The six-wheeled vehicle is to carry science instruments and technology demonstrations that will characterise the surface and subsurface, assess resource potential and supply data for choosing landing sites. Its nuclear power allows it to function through long lunar nights and inside permanently shadowed regions thought to contain ice. NASA is aiming for a late 2028 launch and plans an 18-month mission.
Blue Origin received a $94 million base contract, with an option period worth a further $140 million dependent on performance, to deliver PROMISE to the South Pole. The award extends a task order placed in May 2026 for two lunar terrain vehicles. The rover is also to test a next-generation, radiation-tolerant computer, NASA's High Performance Spaceflight Computing, along with advanced autonomy sensors and algorithms. Relying on proven hardware, software and Mars rover operating methods is expected to cut costs and shorten the test schedule, and NASA has judged that the hardware can withstand conditions near the South Pole.
Transport and launch orders placed
Orbital Transfer Vehicles function like long-haul freight carriers that move heavy payloads through space, while lunar landers make the final descent with supplies, equipment and infrastructure. To demonstrate these capabilities, NASA issued six task orders under its Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) launch services contract to Arrow Science and Technology, Blue Origin and Impulse Space, who are to integrate and transport Moon Base cargo.
A project called miniCAST will test the utilities needed to keep Moon Base assets operating. NASA said its three mission types give it room to fly science and technology demonstrations once they are ready, including missions that verify communication and navigation on the trip from Earth orbit to the Moon, and a group of highly mobile drones that would survey the surface before astronauts arrive.
Open questions
- Will PROMISE meet NASA's late 2028 launch target?