NASA selects three US companies—Astrobotic Technology, Firefly Aerospace and Intuitive Machines—to build lunar landers as part of its Moon Base Program. The agency is awarding multiple contracts tied to delivering NASA science payloads to the Moon and supporting cargo delivery for the planned first outpost. Business Standard reports that NASA awards two contracts to Astrobotic totaling about $298 million, and separate awards of about $144 million to Firefly Aerospace and about $148 million to Intuitive Machines. Other outlets describe the total investment as roughly $590 million to $600 million across the three contractors, with the work supporting four lunar landings. Washington Times and Scientific American state NASA intends for the selected missions to land on the Moon in late 2028. The contracts are intended to lay groundwork for a future crewed surface outpost by demonstrating lander delivery capabilities and enabling NASA’s science payloads to reach the lunar surface. Each source frames the awards as a step in NASA’s longer-term plan to establish a permanent presence on the Moon, while emphasizing the companies’ role as private providers of lunar delivery services.