NASA Opens Moon Landing Contracts to Blue Origin Amid SpaceX Delays: Musk Responds

NASA is expanding Human Landing System production opportunities to Blue Origin and additional American companies.

Washington DC:

On Monday, NASA's Acting Administrator Sean Duffy announced that the space agency plans to open its Human Landing System (HLS) production contracts for the Artemis lunar program to additional companies, including Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin.

Duffy posted on X that competition and innovation are essential to outpace China in the lunar race. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk quickly responded to the announcement, confidently claiming that SpaceX's Starship would remain the dominant vehicle for the mission.

"We are in a race against China, so we need the best companies to operate at a speed that gets us to the Moon FIRST. SpaceX has the contract to build the HLS, which will get US astronauts there on Artemis III. But competition and innovation are the keys to our dominance in space, so NASA is opening up HLS production to Blue Origin and other great American companies," stated Duffy.

CNN reported that Duffy expressed concerns about SpaceX falling behind schedule on its $2.9 billion lunar lander contract, potentially jeopardizing NASA's goal of landing humans on the Moon before China in the intensifying space race.

Duffy's announcement comes amid renewed scrutiny of NASA's 2021 decision to award SpaceX the lunar lander contract. Industry experts have voiced concerns that the complexity of using SpaceX's Starship system might delay the mission, potentially allowing China to reach the Moon first. The Artemis III mission, intended to send the first humans to the lunar South Pole region, is currently scheduled for no earlier than mid-2027.

Elon Musk strongly rejected concerns about potential delays, responding defiantly on X: "They won't. SpaceX is moving like lightning compared to the rest of the space industry. Moreover, Starship will end up doing the whole Moon mission. Mark my words."

Musk's confident response carries additional significance given his complicated relationship with US President Donald Trump, whose administration oversees NASA funding. The two former allies have engaged in public disagreements over Trump's tax cut and spending legislation.

According to CNN, any revision or cancellation of NASA's agreement with SpaceX would represent a significant shift in the agency's strategy, which has remained consistent since selecting Starship in 2021 as the primary lander for Artemis III.

Starship, which remains in relatively early development stages, has experienced three in-flight failures while achieving several successful suborbital tests in 2025.

NASA currently maintains contracts with two private companies for lunar lander development: SpaceX with its Starship vehicle and Blue Origin with its Blue Moon lander. While SpaceX is scheduled to transport astronauts to the Moon for Artemis III, Blue Origin is expected to support future missions later in the Artemis program, such as Artemis V, following its contract award in 2023.

The Artemis III timeline has become an increasing concern among US lawmakers who fear that delays could allow China to beat the US back to the lunar surface. China has publicly announced its intention to land taikonauts, Chinese astronauts, on the Moon by 2030.