Blue Origin

NASA has awarded contracts to eight companies to advance the next stage of its Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, aiming to expand the cargo lander network for the Moon Base. The selected firms include Blue Origin, Firefly Aerospace, Intuitive Machines, iSpace US, Lockheed Martin Space, Northrop Grumman Space Systems, SpaceX and Voyager. In the same announcement, NASA introduced a nuclear‑powered rover named PROMISE and Administrator Jared Isaacman said the deals broaden nearly every aspect of the Moon Base campaign, with astronauts set to arrive on a partially built base.

Blue Origin has shifted the New Glenn launch to January 2027 after a May 2026 explosion severely damaged its Cape Canaveral launchpad. The rebuild has been slowed by hot summer weather and recent flash floods, according to CEO Dave Limp’s internal memo. The 30‑storey, 322‑foot heavy‑lift rocket was originally slated for a late‑2026 launch and will carry 48 Amazon Leo satellites.

NASA issued a request for proposals in October for commercial space stations to follow the International Space Station. The move comes as several launch providers face delays: ULA's Vulcan rocket has been grounded since February and Blue Origin's New Glenn since April. SpaceX stopped accepting new rideshare bookings beyond late 2028 in July. Stoke Space, meanwhile, has raised $1 billion and targets an initial launch in 2027. Governments spent roughly $141 billion on space in 2024, according to the Space Foundation.