NASA awards $627M for lunar rovers, landers and drones

NASA has awarded contracts to multiple private companies to build and deliver the first hardware for a planned lunar base, a significant step in establishing a sustained human presence on the Moon. The agency announced the awards on Tuesday, selecting firms to develop rovers, cargo landers, and a drone delivery system as part of its Artemis program.

The space agency selected Astrolab and Lunar Outpost to each build a lunar terrain vehicle, awarding contracts valued at approximately $219 million and $220 million respectively. These one-ton rovers are designed to travel up to 200 miles and will be capable of both autonomous operation and being driven by astronauts. Blue Origin was awarded a $188 million contract to deliver the rovers to the lunar surface using its uncrewed Blue Moon Mark 1 cargo lander, launching from Cape Canaveral atop a New Glenn rocket. The agency also selected Firefly Aerospace to build a spacecraft to transport four scouting drones to the Moon for a project called MoonFall, targeted for launch in 2028.

Officials stated this hardware is intended to arrive on the lunar surface ahead of the first Artemis astronaut landing, which is planned for as early as 2028....