The eight companies are Blue Origin, Firefly Aerospace, Intuitive Machines, iSpace US, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, SpaceX and Voyager Technologies.
NASA made the announcement at the MAX POWER aerospace expo and air show at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Under the new Commercial Lunar Payload Services 2 (CLPS 2) framework, the companies will provide lunar delivery services, including managing, building, and operating landers that transport NASA science, technology, and infrastructure payloads to the Moon.
NASA also announced that it is moving forward with the development of a nuclear-powered Moon rover named Polar Rover for Observation, Mapping, and In-Situ Exploration.
The six-wheeled rover will land at the Moon’s South Pole to study the surface and subsurface, assess resource potential, and provide data to support future landing-site selection, infrastructure development and exploration activities.
The nuclear-powered rover will be able to operate during long lunar nights and in permanently shadowed regions believed to harbor ice, a capability considered crucial for a sustained human presence on the Moon, NASA said.
To extend infrastructure capabilities on the lunar surface, NASA said it plans to purchase commercial components for a Mini-Communications and Solar Tower, including solar arrays, batteries, and wireless power-transfer hardware.
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