NASA Moon Base Contracts: Who Won What (May 2026)

On May 26, 2026, NASA announced new Moon Base contracts: $219 million to Astrolab and $220 million to Lunar Outpost for the first phase of crewed and uncrewed Lunar Terrain Vehicles, and $188 million to Blue Origin (with an option period worth $280.4 million) for two task orders to deliver the rovers to the Moon's South Pole region. NASA also named the first three Moon Base missions, which use landers from Blue Origin, Astrobotic and Intuitive Machines, and said Firefly Aerospace will build the MoonFall spacecraft. Everything here comes from NASA's release 26-046 as updated May 27, 2026; I have not verified later changes in schedules or awards. This is research, not financial advice.

The contracts#

NASA describes the LTV awards as firm-fixed-price, performance-based milestones under the Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services contract, with crewed and uncrewed mobility systems deployed to the lunar surface by 2028 through the CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative. The Blue Origin award was a competitive procurement under the CLPS 1.0 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity framework, and NASA can choose to extend the task order for payload delivery.

The first three Moon Base missions#

• Moon Base I, targeted no earlier than fall 2026: Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 1 Endurance lander delivers NASA payloads to the Shackleton Connecting Ridge, including instruments to study thruster-surface interactions and a laser retroreflective array.
• Moon Base II, planned for later in 2026: Astrobotic's Griffin lander carries more than 1,100 pounds of cargo, including Astrolab's FLIP rover.
• Moon Base III, also targeted for 2026: Intuitive Machines' Nova-C Trinity lander flies the Lunar Vertex investigation, plus payloads from ESA and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute.

NASA said these are the first of more than a dozen missions to be announced in 2026.

MoonFall and CLPS 2.0#

• MoonFall. Four drones that make short hops on the lunar surface to survey Artemis landing sites. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory selected Firefly Aerospace to build the spacecraft that carries them from Earth orbit to the Moon, with launch targeted for 2028.
• CLPS 2.0. NASA released the final request for proposals on May 15, with responses due June 30, 2026. It allows NASA to order turn-key delivery services or to accept delivery of CLPS hardware for integration into its own missions.
• More awards. NASA said additional CLPS 1.0 task awards for Moon Base payloads and technology demonstrations were forthcoming.

Which of these are listed companies#

Of the companies named, Intuitive Machines (LUNR) and Firefly Aerospace (FLY) trade publicly. Blue Origin, Astrobotic, Astrolab and Lunar Outpost are private, and Martian Alpha does not list them as stocks. A mission appearing in a NASA release is not revenue: award amounts are ceilings or milestone payments paid over time, and dates are targets that move. For how contract types shift risk between NASA and a contractor, see our guide to contract type risk, and for how a cash cushion bears on a mission-driven company, how to calculate cash runway.

Reading it carefully#

1. It is a snapshot from May 26-27, 2026. Launch targets such as "fall 2026" have probably moved since. Check NASA's Moon Base page for current status.
2. Awards are not all company revenue. The Blue Origin figure includes an option that NASA may or may not exercise.
3. Budget context. The lunar elements of NASA's request are summarized in our FY2027 budget explainer.

Following lunar contract news on Martian Alpha#

To see where past landers and rovers have touched down, and the candidate Artemis regions near the south pole, the Moon and Mars surface atlas (Space Enthusiast plan) maps them.

The free contract awards page lists recent federal awards to public space and defense companies, and the catalyst feed tags contract wins as they are reported. A free account adds a watchlist (2 tickers) with news alerts.

FAQ#

Who won NASA's Moon Base rover contracts?#

Astrolab ($219 million) and Lunar Outpost ($220 million) won the first phase of the Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services awards, announced May 26, 2026.

How much did Blue Origin get?#

$188 million, with an option period worth $280.4 million, for two task orders to deliver the rovers to the lunar South Pole region under CLPS 1.0.

What are the first three Moon Base missions?#

Moon Base I on Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 1 Endurance lander, Moon Base II on Astrobotic's Griffin lander with Astrolab's FLIP rover, and Moon Base III on Intuitive Machines' Nova-C Trinity lander carrying Lunar Vertex.

What is CLPS 2.0?#

The next generation of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services. Its final request for proposals was released May 15, 2026, with responses due June 30, and it lets NASA order turn-key delivery or accept CLPS hardware for its own missions.

Which listed companies are involved?#

Intuitive Machines (Moon Base III) and Firefly Aerospace (MoonFall spacecraft). The other named companies are private.

Sources#

• NASA, "NASA Provides Update on Moon Base Rovers, Landers, Missions," Release 26-046, May 26, 2026 (updated May 27, 2026), read October 13, 2026.
• NASA, Moon Base, read October 13, 2026: confirms the initiative was announced in March 2026.