Delivering cargo to the surface of the Moon is turning into a service that can be bought. Under its Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, known as CLPS, NASA does not build its own landers but purchases deliveries of science and technology payloads from commercial companies. This model is creating a new segment of space logistics.
How CLPS works
NASA selects a pool of US companies that can bid on individual delivery task orders. The company provides the lander, arranges the launch and operates the mission. NASA pays for the delivery of its payloads, and the companies are free to carry payloads for other customers on the same flight.
First landings
In February 2024, Intuitive Machines' Odysseus lander became the first commercial spacecraft to land on the Moon, although it tipped over on touchdown. In March 2025, Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Mission 1 landed upright and operated its NASA payloads on the surface. Its launch on a Falcon 9 in January 2025 is shown on the cover image.
What lunar logistics involves
- Launch: landers usually fly on commercial rockets, sometimes as a rideshare with other lunar missions.
- Transfer and orbit insertion: the lander travels to the Moon and enters lunar orbit before descent.
- Landing and surface operations: precision landing and survival through the lunar day, and ideally the night, are key technical challenges.
- Communications: data relay from the surface, especially from the far side, requires dedicated infrastructure.
Why it matters
Regular commercial deliveries lower the cost of lunar science and prepare the ground for crewed missions under NASA's Artemis programme. For companies outside the United States, rides on commercial landers offer a way to send instruments to the Moon without developing a full mission.
Related reading
- Apollo 11: The First Moon Landing and What It Means for Spaceflight Today
- Artemis Accords Pass 75 Signatories: Croatia, Côte d’Ivoire and San Marino Join
- Mars Telecommunications Network: How Data Gets From Mars to Earth
Sources
- NASA: Commercial Lunar Payload Services
- NASA: NASA Tech Contributes to Soft Moon Landing, Agency Science Underway
- Space.com: Intuitive Machines' Odysseus lander tipped over on the moon
- NASA: Touchdown! Carrying NASA Science, Firefly's Blue Ghost Lands on Moon
Cover image: A Falcon 9 rocket launches Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Mission 1 lunar lander, January 2025. Credit: NASA (KSC-20250115-PH-FMX01_0004), public domain.