NASA Moon Base Contracts 2026: $827M Awards Blue Origin, Firefly, Astrolab — Space Economy Gold Rush

# NASA Moon Base Contracts 2026: $827M Awards Blue Origin, Firefly, Astrolab — Space Economy Gold Rush

> **Quick answer:** On May 26, 2026, NASA awarded roughly $827 million in contracts to four companies — Blue Origin, Astrolab, Lunar Outpost, and Firefly Aerospace — to build the first hardware layer of a permanent lunar base near the Moon's South Pole. The first cargo delivery is targeted for fall 2026. A crewed landing follows as early as 2028, with full operational capability by the mid-2030s.

NASA just handed out the biggest commercial moon contracts in history, and the names on the winning list read like a who's who of the new space economy. Blue Origin, Astrolab, Lunar Outpost, and Firefly Aerospace will collectively build rovers, landers, and drone carriers — the physical infrastructure for humanity's first permanent presence on the Moon. If you own space stocks, follow Artemis, or simply want to understand where the next $30 billion government technology spend is flowing, this is the story that matters right now.

## What NASA Just Awarded — and to Whom

The May 26 announcement was precise in its ambition and surprisingly concrete in its dollar figures. Here is exactly what each company won.

**Blue Origin — $188 million (with a $280.4 million option period)**