NASA selects three companies for four lunar science missions slated for 2028

NASA announced on Tuesday that it has selected three companies to carry out four new lunar missions scheduled for completion by the end of 2028. The announcement follows the agency’s broader strategy to expand human and robotic presence on the Moon, building on the successes of the Artemis program. The selected partners—SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Lockheed Martin—will each lead a distinct mission component, from sample‑return operations to the deployment of a new rover platform.

The missions will include a robotic sample‑return flight, a habitat deployment for future crewed missions, a technology demonstration of in‑situ resource utilization, and the launch of the PROMISE rover, an engineering‑development version that will test advanced mobility and science payloads on the lunar surface. An editor’s note added on June 30, 2026 clarified that PROMISE is still in the engineering development stage, not yet a flight‑ready vehicle. Each company will provide launch services, landers, and surface operations support, with NASA overseeing integration and overall mission management.

These four missions represent a significant step toward establishing a sustainable lunar presence. By leveraging commercial capabilities and advancing rover technology, NASA aims to deliver critical data and infrastructure that will underpin future crewed exploration and potential commercial activities on the Moon.