NASA unveiled a slate of Moon Base awards Saturday, including new launch orders, a lander pool, and a nuclear rover built.
The agency awarded six VADR launch task orders worth about $1.3B combined in a buy now, payload later setup.
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@SpaceX will fly two missions: CAPSTONE 02 on a Quantum Space tug, and
@GoToImpulse carrying multiple
@Int_Machines comms sats
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@blueorigin will fly three New Glenns: one with
@FireflySpace's Elytra tug delivering NASA's three MoonFall drones, and two with Blue Ring for cargo NASA hasn't picked yet
- Impulse and
@relativityspace will pair Terran R with Impulse's Helios kick stage and a lander that drops NASA payloads in cislunar orbit, then attempts a lunar descent
For landers, CLPS 2 named 8 eligible companies under a 10-year contract worth up to $10B.
@northropgrumman and
@ispace_us_inc are new, alongside
@voyagertech_ after its
@astrobotic acquisition.
PROMISE is a nuclear-powered rover built from spare Curiosity and Perseverance parts. JPL is leading it, Blue Origin will land it in late 2028, and NASA expects the mission to cost under $400M.
Payload reporter
@vicky_woodburn brings you all the details from the MAX POWER briefing ⬇️