The United States is intensifying efforts to achieve a manned moon landing by the end of 2028, with companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin committing all their resources to the mission.
The Trump administration has set a firm deadline for a manned moon landing, aiming for completion by late 2028. This aggressive timeline has prompted NASA's partner companies to pivot their strategies dramatically. Both Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and Elon Musk's SpaceX have announced that they will focus their technological resources entirely on developing lunar landers. Notably, Blue Origin has decided to halt its suborbital space tourism operations that began in 2021, while SpaceX postponed plans for an unmanned Mars probe originally scheduled for this year.
In communications to investors, SpaceX emphasized that lunar missions have taken precedence over Mars travel, with intentions to attempt an unmanned landing using their Starship vehicle by March 2027. This marks a significant shift from Musk's previous rhetoric where he considered the moon merely a hurdle before reaching Mars. Meanwhile, Blue Origin has confirmed a commitment to lunar lander development, announcing a two-year pause on its New Shepard suborbital rocket launches to concentrate on sending humans back to the moon and establishing a lunar base.
The sudden decisions by these space giants are likely in response to strong encouragement from NASA, given the looming deadlines for the upcoming Artemis missions. SpaceX has a contractual obligation to develop a lunar lander for the Artemis 3 mission scheduled for 2028, while Blue Origin is tasked with the Artemis 5 mission anticipated in the 2030s. However, the delays in Starship's development raise concerns about meeting these critical timelines, prompting NASA to consider alternative suppliers for lunar lander solutions.
