NASA will carry cargo to the Moon with SpaceX and Blue Origin

While NASA is planning manned and unmanned missions to the Moon within the framework of the Artemis program, transportation of the necessary equipment and materials is of great importance for the success of these missions. In this context, the space agency plans to carry heavy cargo to the Moon in cooperation with SpaceX and Blue Origin companies.

SpaceX is scheduled to deliver a pressurized rover to the Moon with its Starship cargo lander no earlier than 2032. On the other hand, Blue Origin is expected to deliver a habitat to the Moon’s surface before 2033. Both missions support NASA’s Artemis missions, aiming to take humanity back to the Moon after more than 50 years.

SpaceX and Blue Origin are in the process of developing human landing systems for Artemis missions. SpaceX is developing Starship for the Artemis III mission, and Blue Origin is developing the Blue Moon lander for the Artemis V mission. NASA plans to use these vehicles not only for human landing but also for heavy cargo transportation. Therefore, both companies are asked to develop cargo landing vehicles capable of carrying between 12 and 15 tons of payload.

NASA will start proposal processes by 2025

NASA plans to launch bidding processes for these new cargo missions in the first quarter of 2025. This initiative stands out as part of NASA’s goal of establishing a sustainable presence on the Moon. The long-term goals of the Artemis missions include creating the infrastructure for future manned missions to Mars.

This collaboration between NASA and SpaceX and Blue Origin shows that the role of commercial companies in space research is increasing. The success of such missions is considered a critical step not only for technological innovations but also for humanity’s vision of deep space exploration. Using different technological approaches for cargo transportation to the Moon will contribute to NASA’s flexibility in this process.

This collaboration between NASA and SpaceX and Blue Origin is seen as an important step for the success of the Artemis program. Cargo transportation to the Moon can greatly contribute to the creation of the necessary infrastructure for future manned missions and deep space exploration.