NASA scales lunar logistics with VADR and CLPS 2 awards

NASA has initiated a significant expansion of its lunar infrastructure program, awarding approximately $1.3 billion in task orders under its Venture-class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) contract and establishing a $10 billion, 10-year framework for lunar deliveries through CLPS 2 (Payload). The VADR awards utilize a buy-now, payload-later strategy, allowing the agency to reshuffle cargo across various launch providers as hardware development progresses. SpaceX, Blue Origin, Impulse Space, and Relativity Space will execute these missions using a mix of Falcon 9, New Glenn, and Terran R launch vehicles paired with specialized tugs like Firefly’s Elytra and Impulse’s Helios kick stage.

The CLPS 2 contract introduces eight vendors to the pool, including newcomers Northrop Grumman, ispace-U.S., and Voyager Technologies, specifically targeting landers capable of delivering 2 to 6 metric tons of cargo to the lunar surface. To support site selection, NASA greenlit the PROMISE rover, a nuclear-powered vehicle constructed from spare parts of previous Mars missions, which will drill one meter into the lunar regolith to map water ice. These efforts aim to accelerate the establishment of a permanent base, with Blue Origin contracted to land the rover using its Mark 1 vehicle by late 2028.