NASA has announced new contracts to deliver cargo to the Moon, launch spacecraft, and build elements of future lunar infrastructure. One of the key projects is the nuclear-powered PROMISE rover, which is expected to begin exploring the Moon’s south polar region in late 2028. All these initiatives are intended to lay the groundwork for a lunar base that the agency aims to establish by 2032.

NASA announced its plans on November 7 during the Max Power event at Kennedy Space Center. The package includes a new ten-year Commercial Lunar Payload Services 2 (CLPS 2) cargo delivery program with a maximum contract value of $10 billion, increased funding for the VADR commercial launch program, and preparations for several new lunar missions.

According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, the previous CLPS model involved a fairly rigid mission structure: contracts covered the entire scope of work, which was suitable for one or two launches a year. As the number of launches increases, the agency will need greater flexibility to assign individual tasks and adjust mission configurations, Space.com reports.

NASA changes its lunar cargo delivery system

Under the new CLPS 2 program, NASA has selected eight companies that will be eligible to compete for contracts to deliver equipment, scientific instruments, and other cargo to the lunar surface. The list includes Blue Origin, Firefly Aerospace, Intuitive Machines, ispace-U.S., Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, SpaceX, and Voyager Technologies.

The maximum combined value of the contracts over the ten-year period is $10 billion. This is not the value of orders already awarded, but the program’s funding ceiling.

At the same time, NASA increased the ceiling on the existing CLPS contract from $2.6 billion to $4.2 billion. The additional funding is intended to support the first phase of the lunar base construction program, Moon Base Phase One.

The agency is thus not merely expanding its pool of potential contractors, but also creating a more flexible equipment delivery system. This should enable more frequent cargo shipments to the Moon and the gradual expansion of infrastructure needed for future crewed expeditions.

Nuclear-powered PROMISE rover to head to the Moon’s south pole

Another major announcement is the PROMISE mission (Polar Rover for Observation, Mapping, and In-Situ Exploration). NASA plans to send the rover to the Moon in late 2028.

The project is based on an engineering model of the Perseverance and Curiosity Mars rovers—essentially an Earth-based test counterpart of the vehicles developed to explore Mars. NASA intends to modify it for operation on the Moon.

PROMISE will be equipped with a nuclear power system, a drilling system, and scientific instruments. The rover is expected to explore the Moon’s south polar region, search for volatiles and water ice deposits, and collect data on local geology.

NASA selected Blue Origin to deliver the rover. The base contract value is $94 million, with an additional option that could increase it by another $140 million depending on performance. The company is to deliver the rover to the lunar surface using its Blue Moon Mark 1 lander.

Exploring the south pole is particularly important for the future lunar base: NASA hopes to find resources there that could potentially support a long-term human presence on the Moon.

Satellites, navigation, and new exploration methods

In addition to lunar landing missions, NASA is expanding its Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) program, which covers commercial launches and in-orbit cargo transportation.

The agency awarded six orders worth a total of approximately $1.3 billion to Arrow Science and Technology, Blue Origin, and Impulse Space. The companies are to demonstrate commercial space logistics capabilities, including moving cargo between Earth and lunar orbits.

Planned tasks include testing navigation technologies with the CAPSTONE 2 spacecraft and surveying the lunar surface using MoonFall drones. Launches will use Blue Origin’s New Glenn, SpaceX’s Falcon 9, and Relativity Space’s Terran R rockets.

NASA awarded a separate contract to SpaceX to place lunar communications satellites into orbit in 2028 using Starship. They will form the backbone of a future communications network around the Moon. The system will be conceptually similar to Starlink, but designed to provide communications in lunar space.

NASA also tasked Honeybee Robotics, Redwire, and Yank Technologies with developing components for the miniCAST mini-tower, which will combine power supply and communications systems on the Moon.

Lunar base to be built in three phases

All the new contracts are part of NASA’s broader strategy to build infrastructure for a permanent human presence on the Moon. The agency has divided it into three successive phases.

· Phase One—through 2029. Robotic exploration, testing of technologies and infrastructure solutions, and commercial equipment delivery.

· Phase Two—from 2029 to 2032. Further deployment of the infrastructure needed for the future base.

· Phase Three. The start of full-scale lunar base operations.

NASA thus aims to prepare the site with robotic spacecraft first, then gradually move toward building infrastructure for crewed expeditions.

The $10 billion in contracts, the PROMISE rover, communications satellites, and tests of commercial transportation systems are all parts of a single program. The agency wants future expeditions to be more than isolated visits to the Moon, instead laying the foundation for a longer-term human presence on its surface.