SpaceX is behind schedule, so NASA will open Artemis III contract to competition

Steven

SpaceX is behind schedule, so NASA will open Artemis III contract to competition

Summary

NASA’s Acting Administrator, Sean Duffy, has said SpaceX is “behind schedule” on developing the Human Landing System (HLS) and will reopen the Artemis III lunar lander contract to competition. The agency has pushed the targeted crewed lunar landing to the end of 2028 (or January 2029 at a pinch), acknowledging that the prior 2027 goal is increasingly unrealistic.

SpaceX — which won the original HLS award in 2021 and beat rivals such as Blue Origin and Dynetics — has faced setbacks with its Starship test programme, achieving sub-orbital flights but not yet demonstrating Moon-capable operations. Elon Musk publicly disputed NASA’s assessment on X, insisting Starship will carry the mission.

NASA named Blue Origin (and “maybe others”) as potential alternatives, and the move reopens bidding, giving other providers a chance to compete. The decision arrives amid concerns from NASA advisory bodies and media reports that the HLS variant of Starship might not be ready for several years, coupled with strained agency budgets that could affect schedule and resources.

Key Points

  • NASA has formally reopened competition for the Artemis III lunar lander after concluding SpaceX is behind schedule.
  • The target for a crewed lunar landing has been pushed to late 2028 or January 2029, moving beyond the earlier 2027 aim.
  • SpaceX won the HLS contract in 2021 but has since seen delays and test failures in its Starship development.
  • Blue Origin is explicitly named as an alternate contender; other companies may also bid.
  • Independent panels and media have raised doubts about Starship HLS readiness — some reports suggest readiness could slip into the early 2030s.
  • NASA faces budget pressures that add uncertainty to how quickly it can execute a crewed lunar landing even with competition reopened.

Context and relevance

This is a significant programme-level change for Artemis. Reopening the HLS competition alters procurement dynamics, potentially redistributes work across the US space industrial base, and signals that NASA is prioritising schedule certainty and redundancy over single-vendor dependency.

The move also has geopolitical overtones: the White House emphasises beating China to the Moon, and schedule slips figure in that national priority. For industry, it means another chance for firms like Blue Origin to secure major contracts; for SpaceX, it is both a reputational and programme-management challenge. Finally, the agency’s constrained budget complicates any accelerated timeline — funding must be found to deliver a landing within the stated political window.

Why should I read this?

Quick heads-up: if you care about who actually lands astronauts on the Moon (and when), this is the development that changes the game. NASA’s saying “maybe not SpaceX alone” and that could reshuffle billions, jobs and timelines — plus it’s got geopolitical teeth. Worth two minutes of your time.

Author style

Punchy: This is a headline move. Reopening Artemis III procurement is a rare public rebuke of schedule expectations and a clear signal NASA wants options — fast. If you follow space policy, industry contracts or the Musk vs establishment narrative, don’t skip the detail.

Source

Source: https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2025/10/21/spacex_is_behind_schedule_so/