NASA Reopens Artemis Moon Lander Contract Amid SpaceX Delays, Invites Blue Origin

NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy announced that the agency is reopening the contract for the Artemis III lunar lander, originally awarded to SpaceX, due to delays in the development of SpaceX's Starship rocket. Duffy emphasized the urgency of beating China in the race to return astronauts to the Moon, stating that SpaceX has pushed timelines out and that NASA will allow companies like Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin to compete for the contract. SpaceX's Starship has faced multiple test failures and has yet to reach orbit, delaying key milestones such as in-orbit refueling and uncrewed test landings necessary for the mission. Despite these setbacks, SpaceX remains the primary contractor, but NASA is seeking acceleration approaches and new ideas from the broader commercial space sector to ensure a lunar landing by 2028 during President Trump's term. Elon Musk responded by asserting that Starship will definitely complete the mission and criticized concerns over delays. The Artemis III mission aims to land astronauts on the lunar South Pole by mid-2027, but NASA's move to open competition reflects significant concern over SpaceX's current progress and the strategic need to maintain U.S. leadership in space exploration.