NASA could sideline SpaceX and select a special firm to land its astronauts on the moon later this decade, performing space agency chief Sean Duffy prompt throughout TV appearances Monday.
Duffy emphasised that he believes SpaceX, which has a $2.9 billion contract to offer the lunar lander astronauts would experience to the moon’s floor, is lagging delayed, probably thwarting NASA’s efforts to return people to the moon earlier than China amid a brand new space race.
“They push their timelines out, and we’re in a race against China,” Duffy advised CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Monday morning, referring to SpaceX’s growth of Starship — the automobile the corporate plans to make use of as a lunar lander for NASA. “So, I’m going to open up the contract. I’m going to let other space companies compete with SpaceX.”
If NASA had been to cancel or amend its contract with SpaceX, it may sign a outstanding reversal of a plan the space agency has had in place since 2021. That’s when NASA selected Starship — which continues to be in the early phases of growth and has racked up three in-flight failures and a pair successful suborbital test flights to date in 2025 — to function lunar lander in the course of the historic moon landing mission, referred to as Artemis III.
Duffy’s remarks on Monday come as that 2021 determination is dealing with new scrutiny from space business leaders who’re involved that the logistics concerned with utilizing SpaceX’s Starship are too complicated and should trigger NASA to lose the brand new moon race, as NCS previously reported. The Artemis III moon-landing mission is presently set to happen as quickly as mid-2027.
SpaceX didn’t reply to a request for touch upon Duffy’s remarks.
The precise timeline for NASA to probably alter its deal with SpaceX or convey on a brand new contractor was not instantly clear. In a separate interview on Monday with Fox News’ “Fox & Friends,” Duffy stated he’s “in the process of opening that contract up,” referring to the Artemis lunar lander settlement.
NASA already has two completely different corporations contracted to offer lunar landers: SpaceX with its Starship automobile, and Blue Origin, the space enterprise based by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos, which is growing a lander referred to as Blue Moon.
It is Starship, nonetheless, that’s slated to fly the Artemis III mission in 2027, which might mark the primary time astronauts have set foot on the lunar floor because the Apollo program concluded 5 a long time in the past. (Blue Origin, which acquired its NASA contract in 2023, is trying to make use of Blue Moon to finish Artemis missions later in this system, comparable to Artemis V.)
In a press release, NASA press secretary Bethany Stevens stated that the space agency gave SpaceX and Blue Origin till October 29 to current “acceleration approaches” for lunar lander growth.
“NASA is also going to request plans from the entire commercial space industry – through an RFI (or Request for Information) – for how NASA can increase the cadence of our mission to the Moon,” the assertion reads. “President Trump and Secretary Duffy have a mission to beat China back to the Moon. That’s why they are harnessing the power of the American space industry and seeking solutions to develop more ways to land on the Moon.”
The timeline of Artemis III has been the main target of hawkish lawmakers involved that the landing is not going to happen earlier than taikonauts — or Chinese astronauts — attain the moon. China has stated it can accomplish that feat by 2030.
In his remarks to CNBC, Duffy prompt it might be Blue Origin that takes over SpaceX’s place in the Artemis III mission.
In response to NCS’s request for remark concerning Duffy’s remarks, Blue Origin stated solely that it’s “ready to support.”
However, Duffy additionally warned that NASA could decide to open up the competitors extra broadly to suppliers that don’t but have contracts.
“If SpaceX is behind, but Blue Origin can do it before them, good on Blue Origin,” Duffy stated. “But … we’re not going to wait for one company. We’re going to push this forward and win the second space race against the Chinese.”
It’s unclear if NASA’s plans to subject a RFI will consequence in any new corporations securing contracts. In authorities contracting parlance, RFIs are usually thought-about a part of a casual fact-finding course of whereas Requests for Proposals, or RFPs, are a extra formal solicitation.
Space business specialists have expressed issues concerning the timelines for each SpaceX’s Starship and Blue Origin’s Blue Moon, noting that the autos are complicated and should have to be refueled in orbit.
In-orbit refueling has by no means been tried, the specialists famous, and lunar landers requiring such a step may require prohibitively lengthy growth timelines.
It’s not clear what different US corporations could also be in a place to affix SpaceX and Blue Origin in competing for NASA Artemis contracts.
Dynetics, an aerospace firm based mostly in Alabama, was among the many corporations that initially bid for a lunar lander contract alongside Blue Origin and SpaceX. Dynetics didn’t instantly reply to a request for touch upon Monday.
Editor’s Note: This story has been up to date with extra particulars.
Sign up for NCS’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with information on fascinating discoveries, scientific developments and extra.