Space Race Twist: NASA Looks Beyond SpaceX for Moon Lander Solutions

NASA Aims to Establish a Sustainable Human Presence on and around the Moon before the End of the Decade

The acting administrator of NASA, Sean Duffy said that the agency was looking for an alternative to carry astronauts to the lunar surface as Elon Musk’s rocket company, SpaceX is behind schedule.

Artemis III, the first crewed lunar landing since 1972, was initially planned for 2027 with SpaceX’s Starship.

NASA Seeks an Alternative

In appearances on CNBC and Fox News, Sean Duffy, the temporary leader of NASA, said he would open bidding on a contract to build a new lunar lander to other companies. 

“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,” said Duffy.

NASA hasn’t yet detailed how the reopened bid will work or be funded, but Duffy hinted at “two potential companies” teaming up for the 2028 landing.

In 2022, NASA acknowledged the landing date of Artemis III would slip into 2027, assuming SpaceX’s Starship would be fully certified and tested in time to carry astronauts in 2027. Now, with 2027 just two years away and Starship still in development, NASA is adjusting its expectations.

New Opportunities for Blue Origin & Others

“I’m going to let other space companies compete with SpaceX, like Blue Origin… Whatever one can get us there first to the Moon, we’re going to take,” Duffy said. 

Jeff Bezos-owned Blue Origin, which has also developed the Blue Moon lander, protested NASA’s sole-source award to SpaceX in 2021 and later won a $3.4 billion contract to land astronauts on Artemis V in 2029.

Space Race

China is targeting its own Moon landing by 2030. The experts feel that NASA cannot push beyond 2028 for Moon landing to lead the space race. NASA is now aiming for a 2028 US landing to win this “second space race”. President Donald Trump (re-elected in 2024) has pressed NASA to ensure Americans return to the Moon before his term ends in January 2029.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX has won the $4.4 billion Artemis III lander contract in 2021. However, the company has struggled to develop its Starship lunar spacecraft on schedule. The 11th Starship test flight took place this month after a series of failed attempts and the vehicle has yet to reach orbit or carry crew, raising NASA’s concern about relying solely on SpaceX. “They’re behind schedule, and so the president wants to make sure we beat the Chinese,” Duffy noted bluntly.

In Duffy’s words, “We’re going to have a space race… American companies competing to see who can get us back to the moon first.” This competition, he suggests, ultimately strengthens the Artemis program’s chances of beating international rivals and achieving a permanent foothold on the Moon.

Who are the Other Players?

There have been several rumours apart from Blue Origin for the Artemis III mission. Investors are betting on Rocket Lab, seen as a publicly traded alternative to SpaceX, has witnessed its stock surge over 170% in 2025 amid impressive launch progress. 

Another alternative is Intuitive Machines, a small-cap company building lunar landers and support services. The Houston-based Intuitive, which provides communications and navigation services for NASA’s Artemis program, is also in the race.

Even traditional contractors like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Northrop Grumman, which build Orion and SLS hardware are also expected to participate in the bid. 

Some space industry observers are pointing to teams like Dynetics (a Leidos subsidiary that was a previous lander bidder) or even international partnerships that could propose alternative lunar landers. For now, Blue Origin is the most likely beneficiary. According to some reports, Blue Origin CEO Jeff Bezos has already discussed Artemis plans with President Trump over the summer, during a period when Musk’s relationship with the White House was strained. 

Blue Origin has kept a lower public profile on its lander progress compared to SpaceX’s splashy Starship tests.

Elon Musk Reacts

“SpaceX is moving like lightning compared to the rest of the space industry,” the SpaceX CEO wrote on X, replying to a user after the announcement by Duffy. “Moreover, Starship will end up doing the whole Moon mission. Mark my words.”

Will Artemis II Mission Launch on Time?

Artemis II, a crewed 10-day Moon fly-around is on schedule. NASA recently mated Orion’s adapter to the SLS rocket and said “Artemis II is on track for launch by April 2026”. 

This mission will test all systems in lunar orbit.

NASA aims to establish a sustainable human presence on and around the Moon before the end of the decade. The plan includes building the Lunar Gateway space station in lunar orbit and conducting regular missions after Artemis III. The NASA administrator hinted that healthy competition between US companies could speed innovation and guard against any single point of failure.