NASA has awarded Firefly Aerospace a $176.7 million contract to deliver a suite of scientific instruments and two rovers to the Moon’s South Pole by 2029. The mission, part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative under the Artemis program, will mark the agency’s first use of multiple mobile and stationary science payloads on a single lunar lander.
Credit: Firefly Aerospace
The mission aims to probe the composition, geology, and potential resources of the Moon’s permanently shadowed regions—areas believed to harbor water ice and other volatiles critical to long-term lunar exploration.
Firefly will manage the mission end-to-end using its Blue Ghost lander, scheduled to touch down in 2029. The payload includes five cutting-edge instruments and vehicles developed in partnership with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and Switzerland’s University of Bern. Together, the mission components will study hydrogen-bearing regolith, monitor the effects of lander plume interaction with the lunar surface, and support future precision navigation efforts.
“This new CLPS task order continues our commitment to commercial partnerships as we expand our reach on the Moon,” said Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration at NASA Headquarters. “These investigations will produce critical knowledge required for long-term sustainability and contribute to a deeper understanding of the lunar surface.”
Payloads
- MoonRanger: A small autonomous rover co-developed by NASA Ames, Carnegie Mellon University, and Astrobotic. It will image the lunar surface and employ a Neutron Spectrometer System to detect hydrogen-rich volatiles.
- Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume Surface Studies: Provided by NASA Langley, this stereo imaging system will capture how the lander's exhaust plumes disturb the lunar regolith—essential for understanding surface erosion during landings.
- Laser Retroreflector Array: Developed by NASA Goddard, this passive device will serve as a fixed optical target to aid future missions in landing accuracy and laser ranging.
- CSA Rover: Designed by the Canadian Space Agency, this rover is built to survive the frigid lunar night. It will explore shadowed polar areas with onboard cameras, spectrometers, and a thermal radiometer to search for water ice and analyze surface composition.
- Laser Ionization Mass Spectrometer: Developed by the University of Bern, this device will use a robotic arm and laser to perform detailed soil analysis, providing elemental and isotopic data for comparison with Apollo samples.
“This delivery will provide a better understanding of the lunar South Pole’s environment, helping us make informed decisions as we move closer to establishing a sustainable human presence on the Moon,” said Adam Schlesinger, CLPS manager at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
This marks Firefly Aerospace’s fifth CLPS contract and its fourth mission to the Moon. Its first successful lunar delivery occurred in March 2025, with additional missions set for 2026 and 2028 targeting diverse lunar terrains, including the far side and the Gruithuisen Domes.
As the Artemis campaign pushes forward, missions like this one continue to lay the groundwork for humanity’s return to the Moon—this time, to stay.
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