The market for sending spacecraft to the moon would seem to be a competitive one. NASA continues to drive the most demand for commercial lunar landers through its Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, with as much as $2.6 billion in contracts over 10 years. Every lunar lander mission by an American company launched to date had CLPS as the primary, if not only, customer.

To continue reading this article:

Register now to read
3 free articles this month.

You’ll also receive our weekly Editor’s Choice, SpaceNews This Week and Opinions newsletters. Opt-out at any time.

Sign in to an existing account

Get unlimited access to SpaceNews.com, the SpaceNews app and our digital monthly magazine for less than $5 per week.

$280

On a campus or library network? Check for access.

Cancel anytime. Sales tax may apply. No refunds. Terms and conditions apply.

See all subscription options

Jeff Foust writes about space policy, commercial space, and related topics for SpaceNews. He earned a Ph.D. in planetary sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree with honors in geophysics and planetary science...