SpaceX has been awarded the contract to build the non-surface landing vehicle (LLM) for NASA's Artemis 3 mission. The original date for the mission to return humans to the moon was 2024 before being postponed to 2027. The main issues are problems with the Boeing SLS rocket and the SpaceX Starship spacecraft. Despite 11 test launches, Starship is still experiencing delays with rumors that Artemis 3 may be delayed to 2028.
Due to SpaceX's failure to produce Starship for this mission, NASA deputy administrator Sean Duffy was quoted as saying that the Artemis 3 contract may be opened up to other companies. NASA needs to launch Artemis 3 before 2030 to ensure it is done before China's moon mission. President Trump also wants it done before the end of his administration, which ends in January 2029.
SpaceX received the original Artemis 3 contract worth $2.9 billion. Six of the eleven Starship test missions ended in failure and all of the tests were using a spacecraft that was smaller than intended.
The company that could grab this contract is Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin. Their Blue Moon lunar lander is more flexible because it can be launched using third-party rockets Falcon Heavy, SLS, Vulcan, and New Glenn. In addition, the team building Blue Moon consists of Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Draper, which have expertise in launching missions to space.
