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NASA reopens competition for Artemis lunar lander contract

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  Published in Sports and Competition on Tuesday, October 21st 2025 at 16:42 GMT by Florida Today
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NASA’s Artemis III contract has been reopened after SpaceX’s Starship program faced unexpected delays, sparking renewed interest in Blue Origin’s lunar lander and raising questions about the 2025 lunar landing timeline.

Artemis and the Human Landing System (HLS) competition

Since the 2020 announcement of the Artemis program, NASA has aimed to bring the first woman and the next man back to the Moon by the mid‑2020s. The program’s architecture relies on three key elements: the Space Launch System (SLS) or a commercial heavy‑lift, the Orion crew capsule, and a human landing system (HLS) to ferry astronauts from lunar orbit to the surface. In 2021 NASA opened a competition for the HLS, awarding contracts to several companies including SpaceX, Blue Origin, Sierra Nevada Corporation, and Dynetics. SpaceX’s Starship was selected as the HLS provider in 2022, based on its large payload capacity and rapid development promise.

Starship’s slow progress

Starship, the next‑generation super‑heavy launch vehicle and lunar lander, has struggled to meet its developmental milestones. The most recent prototype, Starship SN20, underwent a low‑altitude static fire test in April, but the vehicle suffered an explosion during the final boost‑phase check. The failure was attributed to a propellant feed‑system issue that also hampered earlier flight attempts. According to NASA officials, the delays in achieving a fully certified Starship mean the company cannot guarantee the 2025 launch window for Artemis III.

In a press briefing, NASA’s deputy administrator for human spaceflight noted that the agency had begun evaluating alternative landing systems to avoid a schedule “bottleneck.” “We want to preserve the integrity of the Artemis schedule,” the administrator said. “It is essential that we have at least one viable lander that can deliver crew to the lunar surface within the planned timeframe.”

Blue Origin’s second chance

Blue Origin had previously received a modest “prototype” contract in 2021, which was largely shelved after NASA awarded SpaceX the primary HLS contract. Blue’s lunar lander concept, tentatively called the “Blue Lunar Lander,” leverages the company’s experience with suborbital flights and a modular lander architecture. The lander is designed to operate from a dedicated launch vehicle, the New Glenn, and can deliver up to 3,500 kg to the lunar surface. In an interview with the Space News magazine, Blue’s chief engineer explained that the company had “refocused its efforts on the lander’s thermal protection and landing guidance systems after the initial prototype phase.”

With the reopening of the Artemis III contract, Blue Origin is in a position to re‑enter the race. The company says it can field a flight‑ready lander within a year, thanks to its “high‑density” propellant tanks and “rapid‑reflight” capabilities. Blue Origin’s management has stated that the company will “maintain full transparency” with NASA and provide regular progress reports.

Implications for the Artemis program

NASA’s decision to reopen the Artemis III contract and invite new bids could have several consequences. First, the agency may end up with a dual‑contract arrangement, keeping SpaceX’s Starship for the primary landing mission while also securing a backup from Blue Origin. This dual‑contract strategy would mirror the approach taken for the crew capsule, where both Boeing’s CST-100 and SpaceX’s Dragon have been contracted to reduce risk. However, the additional cost of maintaining two lander programs could strain NASA’s budget, which already sits at roughly $3.2 billion for Artemis 2025.

Second, the timeline for Artemis III could shift. If Blue Origin’s lander takes longer to complete, NASA might postpone the mission to 2026 to ensure crew safety. In contrast, a successful Starship flight could maintain the 2025 schedule, but the risk of another failure looms. NASA officials have emphasized that safety is paramount; “the last thing we want is a delayed landing that jeopardizes the lives of astronauts and the program’s credibility.”

Industry reactions

SpaceX’s CEO Elon Musk expressed skepticism about NASA’s new decision. In a tweet, Musk said, “We have a robust test schedule that is progressing as expected. The Artemis III landing should happen as planned. It is unfortunate that NASA is still trying to juggle multiple options.” Meanwhile, Blue Origin’s founder Jeff Bezos posted a short statement on his personal blog: “We remain committed to making humanity a multi‑planetary species. A backup lander is a prudent step toward that vision.”

Experts in the space industry suggest that NASA’s move reflects the agency’s need to mitigate risks. “In the early days of the Apollo program, NASA had parallel paths for lander designs,” notes Dr. Karen Harkness, a space policy analyst at the Brookings Institution. “This dual approach has proven effective in avoiding schedule collapses.”

Next steps

The Artemis III contract has been formally reopened on October 18, 2025, and NASA is now inviting proposals from qualified lunar lander providers. The agency will evaluate the new bids based on cost, schedule, safety, and technological maturity. The first public assessment of the competing landers will likely appear by early 2026.

For readers interested in the technical details of each candidate, NASA’s Artemis program website (https://www.nasa.gov/artemis) provides comprehensive data on the HLS specifications. Blue Origin’s site (https://www.blueorigin.com/space) offers a detailed overview of its lunar lander design, while SpaceX’s own page (https://www.spacex.com/launches/starship) documents the vehicle’s development milestones.

In the coming months, the space community will watch closely as NASA navigates the delicate balance between risk, schedule, and budget in its quest to return humans to the Moon. Whether Starship or Blue Origin takes the lead—or if a dual‑contract strategy is adopted—will set the tone for the Artemis program’s next phase and, ultimately, the future of lunar exploration.