NASA has selected three commercial spaceflight companies to conduct four separate missions to the Moon in late 2028 as part of its broader Moon Base Program. The awards, totaling approximately $600 million, will be distributed among Astrobotic Technology, Firefly Aerospace, and Intuitive Machines. Astrobotic received the largest allocation at $297.9 million for two delivery missions, while Firefly Aerospace and Intuitive Machines each received approximately $144-148 million for single missions.
The four missions will operate under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, which serves as a transportation backbone for the Moon Base infrastructure development. Each participating company will deploy upgraded versions of lunar landers that have previously flown, enabling NASA to accelerate the pace of lunar exploration and operational testing. NASA currently maintains plans for 17 total lunar surface deliveries through various commercial partners. Officials emphasized that expanding the cadence of missions will facilitate rapid iteration, learning, and refinement of lunar operations procedures.
All four missions will carry the same three scientific instruments to gather comparable data from multiple landing locations. These payloads include the Stereo Camera for Lunar Plume Surface Studies, which uses multiple cameras to document how landing engine exhaust disturbs lunar dust; the Laser Retroreflector Array, a passive navigation device that aids positioning accuracy; and the Linear Energy Transfer Spectrometer, which measures radiation conditions at different lunar sites. This standardized approach will create a distributed network of environmental monitoring stations across the lunar surface while supporting astronaut safety planning.
Beyond these four awarded missions, NASA announced additional initiatives to expand Moon Base capabilities. The agency is considering deployment of PROMISE, a hybrid rover based on Mars exploration vehicles, to study subsurface resources. NASA also plans to solicit proposals for supplementary landers carrying power systems, additional scientific instruments, polar imaging equipment, and lunar communication infrastructure. These developments represent part of NASA’s broader strategy to establish sustained lunar operations while preparing for eventual human missions to Mars.
Originally reported by ScienceDaily. Read the full story →