NASA has announced that it will reopen bidding for its flagship U.S. moon landing contract, citing mounting delays in Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship lunar lander project.
The decision clears the way for competitors such as Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin to compete for the high-profile mission to return astronauts to the Moon for the first time in over 50 years.
NASA’s acting chief, Sean Duffy who also serves as U.S. Transportation Secretary told Fox News that the agency would “open the contract up,” saying, “I think we’ll see companies like Blue get involved, and maybe others.”
The decision follows months of internal pressure to accelerate the Artemis lunar programme and push SpaceX to make greater progress, especially as China advances towards its goal of sending humans to the Moon by 2030. The move marks a major shift in NASA’s lunar strategy, launching a new competitive phase for the crewed lander programme just two years before the scheduled mission.
Starship, initially selected in 2021 under a $4.4 billion contract, faces a 2027 landing deadline, one that NASA advisers fear could slip by several years due to competing priorities. While SpaceX’s vehicle is also central to Musk’s wider ambitions, including expanding the Starlink satellite network and future Mars missions, NASA has reportedly grown concerned about the lack of lunar-specific progress.
Duffy acknowledged SpaceX’s achievements but noted that the company is behind schedule, adding that President Donald Trump wants the mission completed before his term ends in January 2029. NASA has now asked both SpaceX and Blue Origin to submit accelerated moon landing plans by 29 October and is inviting proposals from other commercial space firms to increase the pace of lunar missions.
Blue Origin, which was awarded a separate $3 billion contract in 2023 for later Artemis missions, is expected to be a key contender. Lockheed Martin has also confirmed that it is analysing technical and programmatic options for human lunar landers in collaboration with other industry partners.
NASA’s Artemis programme aims to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon, with Artemis 2, a 10-day lunar flyby on track for early 2026 and Artemis 3 targeting a 2027 landing.
G7 foreign ministers and outreach guests gathered for a family photo during a ministerial meeting in Canada on Wednesday (12 November)....
Uzbekistan has established the American-Uzbek Business and Investment Council to enhance trade, industrial cooperation, and investment between the two...
The Reconstruction and Development Coalition, led by Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, has emerged as the frontrunner in the country’s p...
A subsidiary of the Turkish mining company Miryildiz Mining has initiated the construction of a gold processing plant in the Abai region of Kazakhstan...
Former Georgia President Mikheil Saakashvili has returned to prison in Georgia following an extended hospital stay which saw him receive treatment at ...
G7 foreign ministers and outreach guests gathered for a family photo during a ministerial meeting in Canada on Wednesday (12 November).
Ahead of France's World Cup qualifier against Ukraine on Thursday (November 13), the French national team took a moment to reflect on the tragic events of the 2015 Paris attacks, marking the 10th anniversary of the coordinated assaults that left 130 people dead.
Uzbekistan has established the American-Uzbek Business and Investment Council to enhance trade, industrial cooperation, and investment between the two countries.
The Reconstruction and Development Coalition, led by Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, has emerged as the frontrunner in the country’s parliamentary elections, according to the country’s electoral commission.
A source has confirmed to Anewz that all bodies of the 20 victims in the Turkish Military place crash have been recovered by search teams in Georgia's Sighnaghi municipality.
Two earthquakes centered in Cyprus on Wednesday were felt across northern and central regions of Israel, raising concerns among residents in both countries. The first tremor occurred at 11:31 a.m., with the epicenter near Paphos, Cyprus, at a depth of 21 kilometers.
Georgian Interior Minister Geka Geladze has visited the site of the Turkish military helicopter crash in Sighnaghi Municipality, near the Georgia–Azerbaijan border.
Anewz correspondent Nini Nikoleishvili reports from site of crashed Turkish military plane in Sighnaghi Municipality, saying that limited visibility and rugged terrain are slowing down recovery efforts.
Mali's Prime Minister, General Abdoulaye Maiga, sharply criticised France and Algeria on Tuesday (11 November) for allegedly supporting terrorist groups operating in the Sahel region. His comments came during the opening of the Bamako Military Exhibition (BAMEX).
Billionaire Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin has launched NASA’s twin ESCAPADE satellites to Mars on Sunday, marking the second flight of its New Glenn rocket, a mission seen as a crucial test of the company’s reusability ambitions and a fresh challenge to Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
China has announced exemptions to its export controls on Nexperia chips intended for civilian use, the commerce ministry said on Sunday, a move aimed at easing supply shortages affecting carmakers and automotive suppliers.
Nobel Prize-winning scientist James Watson, who co-discovered the DNA double-helix structure, has died at 97, his former research lab confirmed.
As competition over artificial intelligence intensifies, U.S. tech leaders are warning that China’s rapid state-backed progress could soon outpace the West, raising concerns that America is losing its technological edge.
India has launched its heaviest-ever communications satellite, GSAT-7R, designed to boost the Indian Navy’s maritime operations and secure space-based communications.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment