Elon Musk wants to build AI satellite factories on the moon—and now SpaceX will compete for NASA’s $10 billion in contracts to build a lunar base
7 it selected eight companies including SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Lockheed Martin Space to compete for contracts worth up to $10 billion to transport equipment and infrastructure to the moon.
Key points
- Before going public at a record $1.77 trillion, SpaceX detailed plans in its S-1 of building a lunar economy by setting up factories on the moon to make AI satellites.
- Musk’s space ambitions But for SpaceX, these contracts could eventually pave the way for space operations that go beyond shipping astronauts and cargo onto the moon.
- SpaceX said using those lunar materials and taking advantage of the moon’s weaker gravity could “significantly reduce costs and terrestrial resource constraints.” SpaceX also envisions a “lunar mass driver,” which would use “electromagnetic acceleration” to propel satellites without rockets.
— NASA is pushing ahead with its plan to build a moon base for astronauts by 2032, with the agency unveiling up to $10 billion in contracts to launch and deliver cargo to the moon and other efforts on Saturday (Nov.
Additional details
- SpaceX also sees a business opportunity in mining and exporting lunar minerals, estimating the moon has more than 1 million tons of “rare materials” that could go into quantum computing systems and nuclear energy.
- NASA awarded Blue Origin a $94 million base contract, with an additional $140 million option period based on performance, to deliver PROMISE to the lunar surface aboard its Blue Moon Mark 1 lander.
- In its S-1, the company said it intends to build factories on the moon that would use moon-extracted raw materials to manufacture AI satellites, while shipping chips from Earth.
- Then, between 2029 and 2032, NASA plans to build up power systems, cargo transportation, and communications networks to “support long-term operations” on the moon.
- It said the eight companies selected under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program will be eligible to compete for lunar delivery missions over the next decade, building and operating landers to carry scientific instruments, technology, and other infrastructure.
How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →
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