NASA plans to utilize cargo versions of Artemis lunar landers, currently under development by Blue Origin and SpaceX, to deliver a pressurized rover and surface habitat to the lunar surface in the early 2030s.

The agency announced it will expand existing contracts for the development of cargo versions of Blue Origin’s Blue Moon and SpaceX’s Starship to deliver payloads to the moon's surface. This marks the first such award since NASA's January announcement directing both companies to work on cargo variants of their Human Landing System (HLS) spacecraft.

SpaceX's Starship is slated to deliver the pressurized rover, developed by the Japanese space agency JAXA under an April agreement, no earlier than fiscal year 2032. Blue Moon will subsequently deliver a lunar surface habitat no sooner than fiscal year 2033.

“Based on current design and development progress for both crew and cargo landers and the Artemis mission schedules for the crew lander versions, NASA assigned a pressurized rover mission for SpaceX and a lunar habitat delivery for Blue Origin,” Lisa Watson-Morgan, NASA HLS program manager, said in a Nov. 19 statement.

While NASA did not disclose the financial details of these awards, it stated that a request for proposals will be issued to both companies in early 2025. The agency hasn't yet explained the reasons behind announcing these planned awards months in advance.

The rationale behind the specific mission assignments for each company also remains unstated. “Having two lunar lander providers with different approaches for crew and cargo landing capability provides mission flexibility while ensuring a regular cadence of moon landings for continued discovery and scientific opportunity,” Steve Creech, NASA assistant deputy associate administrator for technical in the Moon to Mars Program Office, explained.

In January, NASA revealed its directive to both companies to commence work on cargo versions of their HLS landers. These landers are designed to deliver a minimum of 12 to 15 metric tons to the lunar surface—significantly exceeding the capacity of the robotic landers used in the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program.

NASA confirmed in January that initial work on the cargo versions of Blue Moon and Starship would utilize existing HLS awards, precluding the need for additional funding.