NASA has awarded contracts worth nearly $1 billion to Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, Astrolab, Lunar Outpost and Firefly Aerospace Inc. (NASDAQ:FLY) to build and deliver early infrastructure for a permanent moon base, the agency's first major commercial procurement push under its revised Artemis program.
NASA Pushes Ahead With Moon Base
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NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced the agreements on Tuesday as part of a plan to establish a continuous human and robotic presence near the lunar south pole. He said the moon base would become "America's and humanity's first outpost on another celestial world," adding that each mission would help NASA learn how to live and operate in a difficult lunar environment.
The U.S. space agency awarded Astrolab $219 million and Lunar Outpost $220 million to build and deliver the first phase of lunar terrain vehicles, or rovers, that astronauts could use on the moon by 2028. The vehicles are meant to transport astronauts, move supplies, support remote operations and scout terrain before longer-duration missions.
