SpaceX could lose its much-prized contract to put astronauts on the moon in the Artemis III mission that will mark the first crewed landing on the lunar surface since the final Apollo mission in 1972.
SpaceX won a contract four years ago to use its Starship rocket to send a modified upper stage to the moon. The current plan is to have two NASA astronauts transfer from NASA’s Orion spacecraft (carried to lunar orbit by its SLS rocket) to the Starship’s upper stage before descending to the lunar surface.
But in a surprise announcement made during an appearance on CNBC’s Squawk Box on Monday, NASA’s acting administrator Sean Duffy said the U.S. space agency will explore other options for Artemis III — currently set for 2027 — as SpaceX is behind schedule on developing Starship.
“I love SpaceX, it’s an amazing company,” Duffy said. “The problem is, they’re behind. They’ve pushed their timelines out, and we’re in a race against China.”
Duffy continued: “The president and I want to get to the moon in this president’s term, so I’m going to open up the contract. I’m going to let other space companies compete with SpaceX, like Blue Origin.”
SpaceX chief Elon Musk responded on X, pointing out that “Blue Origin has never delivered a payload to orbit, let alone the moon,” adding later that he meant a “useful” payload. In another post, he wrote: “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.”
Blue Origin, founded by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos, has flown its heavy-lift New Glenn rocket only once up to now — back in January — and in that mission delivered a prototype spacecraft to medium-Earth orbit.
NASA awarded a lunar lander contract to Blue Origin in 2023 involving its Blue Moon lander. The current terms of the contract will see Blue Origin use the lander to put astronauts on the lunar surface in the Artemis V mission, currently planned for no earlier than March 2030.
Reuters noted that Bezos reportedly spoke with President Trump at least twice over the summer in a bid to secure more government contracts for Blue Origin. The reported conversations came at a time when Trump was feuding with Musk following his criticism of the president’s key domestic legislation, known as the Big Beautiful Bill.
Meanwhile, SpaceX is continuing to develop the Starship in readiness for its lunar flights. The rocket’s performance over its eleven test flights has gradually improved, but the vehicle’s development still faces many hurdles before it’s ready to fly to the moon.
Last month, a senior advisory committee suggested that the Artemis III mission could be delayed by “years” as SpaceX continues with work to get the Starship ready.
The Artemis III mission target date has already slipped several times, and Duffy suggested on Monday it could slip again, with 2028 cited as a more realistic launch date.
China is aiming to put humans on the moon before 2030, though whether it too can meet its own deadline remains to be seen.
