What Happened
Space Agency Expands Commercial Lunar Program With SpaceX, Blue Origin
NASA has unveiled a new $10 billion contract for its Moon base program, with SpaceX, Blue Origin, and six other aerospace companies eligible to compete for lunar delivery contracts. The agency aims to establish a permanent base on the Moon’s south pole, with the first elements of the base expected to be in place before astronauts arrive. Blue Origin has secured a separate $94 million contract to deliver NASA’s nuclear-powered PROMISE rover to the lunar South Pole. The announcement was made at the MAX POWER aerospace expo and air show at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, as reported by Fox Business.