NASA Plans to Outsource Moon Missions to Private Companies

The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) plans to commission three new lunar missions by the end of the year under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. According to Ixbt.com, under this initiative, the space agency will pay private companies to deliver scientific instruments and equipment to the Moon, which is expected to be an important step in developing future space infrastructure, as Ixbt.com reports .

According to statements by the heads of Firefly Aerospace and Intuitive Machines at financial conferences, two of the three upcoming contracts will involve landers. The third contract will cover imaging and mapping services from lunar orbit, potentially ushering in historically significant changes.

Who Will Replace the LRO Spacecraft?

Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus clarified that the project involves an advanced spacecraft designed to map the lunar surface and replace the veteran Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), launched in 2009. The scientific community has been emphasizing for several years that the LRO, whose extended mission is currently planned to continue at least until 2028, is aging and needs a successor equipped with modern scientific instruments.

Although NASA has not yet officially disclosed details of the upcoming orbital spacecraft contract, private players in the market are actively preparing for the task. For example, Firefly has announced that it is developing a commercial lunar imaging service called Ocula, with its cameras planned to be installed on mobile Elytra platforms traveling alongside Blue Ghost landers.

Company Capabilities and the CLPS Program

Intuitive Machines, meanwhile, has experience operating the high-resolution camera aboard the LRO and also manages the operation of the ShadowCam camera on South Korea's Danuri lunar orbiter. The CLPS program is now transitioning from one-off spacecraft to serial production, and Firefly and Intuitive Machines have each secured four landing missions.

These four spacecraft must carry identical sets of instruments, and the program's main objective is to test how quickly companies can produce standardized lunar platforms. While Intuitive Machines has significantly expanded its manufacturing facilities in Houston, Firefly has also increased its cleanroom space more than fourfold.

Major Contracts Ahead

The next phase is expected to be the launch of the CLPS 2.0 program. This new contract could be worth up to 10 billion dollars over ten years, with the option to extend its term by another 15 years and increase its total value to 15 billion dollars.

With these financial and technical opportunities available, private companies are developing spacecraft capable of carrying heavier payloads. Intuitive Machines' Nova-D spacecraft, for example, could deliver approximately 500 kilograms of cargo, while its three-engine version is designed to carry up to one ton. Firefly is also developing a scalable version of Blue Ghost with a payload capacity of several tons.