In the long human story of reaching beyond Earth, NASA has deepened its commitment to the moon by awarding SpaceX $1.15 billion to refine and extend the Starship lunar lander's capabilities — not as a singular feat, but as a foundation for recurring human presence on the lunar surface. Announced in November 2022, the contract modification signals a philosophical shift from milestone achievements toward something more enduring: a sustained rhythm of crewed missions, built on redundancy and institutional patience. The moon, it seems, is no longer a destination to be visited once and remembered,
NASA awards SpaceX $1.15B to upgrade Starship for second Artemis lunar landing
Building a path to regular lunar missions, not one-time visits
Mark
So NASA is paying SpaceX another $1.15 billion on top of the $2.9 billion they already got. Why not just fold this into the original contract?
Mimi
The original contract was for a single demonstration mission. This option adds a second crewed landing with different requirements—more astronauts, longer stays. NASA structured it as an option so they could decide later whether to proceed, and at what cost.
Luke
Right, but we should be clear: this isn't new money appearing from nowhere. It's a modification to an existing contract. The question is whether $1.15 billion is the right price for those upgrades, and we don't have independent analysis of that.
Mark
When will this second mission actually happen?
Mimi
It's scheduled as Artemis 4. The first Starship landing is supposed to be Artemis 3, which hasn't launched yet. So we're talking years out.
Luke
And that timeline could shift. Artemis 3 itself has slipped multiple times. The source says Artemis 4 was originally planned as a Gateway mission with no landing, so NASA is repurposing it. That's a significant change to the program.
Mark
What about the other lander NASA is funding?
Mimi
That's the Sustaining Lunar Development competition. SpaceX couldn't bid on it, so NASA is running a separate process to select a different contractor. That lander would fly on Artemis 5 or later.
Luke
So NASA is betting on two horses. That's smart for redundancy, but it also means two different vehicles, two different contractors, two different sets of requirements. The cost and complexity are real.
Mark
Is Starship actually ready for this?
Mimi
Not yet. SpaceX is still doing ground tests in Texas. They haven't launched Starship to orbit yet. That's supposed to happen in December, but that depends on FAA approval.
Luke
The source says "as soon as early December," which is conditional language. And it depends on both testing success and a launch license. Those are two separate hurdles, either of which could slip.
The Pulse
- NASA's $1.15 billion Option B award to SpaceX transforms a one-time lunar demonstration into a repeating cadence of crewed moon landings with more astronauts and longer surface stays.
- The upgraded Starship is now slated to carry astronauts on Artemis 4 — a mission previously reserved for Gateway station work — reshaping the entire Artemis mission sequence.
- A parallel competition for a second lander, with proposals due December 6 and a winner expected in June 2023, introduces a rival design that will debut no earlier than Artemis 5, creating deliberate redundancy.
- On the ground in Boca Chica, SpaceX fired 14 of Super Heavy's 33 Raptor engines in its largest static-fire test yet, with an orbital launch attempt eyed for December pending FAA approval.
- The entire lunar lander program now runs on two tracks simultaneously — one upgrading a proven partnership, one inviting fresh competition — reflecting NASA's determination that no single point of failure will stall humanity's return to the moon.
In the long human story of reaching beyond Earth, NASA has deepened its commitment to the moon by awarding SpaceX $1.15 billion to refine and extend the Starship lunar lander's capabilities — not as a singular feat, but as a foundation for recurring human presence on the lunar surface. Announced in November 2022, the contract modification signals a philosophical shift from milestone achievements toward something more enduring: a sustained rhythm of crewed missions, built on redundancy and institutional patience. The moon, it seems, is no longer a destination to be visited once and remembered, but a place humanity intends to keep returning to.
On November 15, 2022, NASA awarded SpaceX $1.15 billion to build an upgraded Starship lunar lander and fly astronauts to the moon a second time. Known formally as Option B of the Human Landing System contract, the award extends a partnership that began in April 2021, when SpaceX first won a $2.9 billion deal to develop a crewed lunar lander for a single demonstration mission. The new funding covers vehicle improvements that will allow Starship to carry more astronauts and support longer stays on the surface — part of what NASA calls a sustainable, service-based approach to lunar transportation.
The award also reshapes the Artemis mission schedule. SpaceX's upgraded Starship will serve as the lander for Artemis 4, a mission previously planned without a landing component. A second lander, to be selected through NASA's separate Sustaining Lunar Development competition, will make its debut no earlier than Artemis 5. SpaceX was barred from that separate competition, but NASA chose to exercise the option already embedded in the original contract rather than leave the upgraded lander to chance.
Progress on the ground is accelerating. On November 14, SpaceX conducted a static-fire test of its Super Heavy booster at Boca Chica, Texas, igniting 14 of its 33 Raptor engines — the most ever fired in a single test. Elon Musk indicated further tests would follow before an orbital launch attempt, which NASA officials suggested could come as early as December, contingent on FAA approval.
With proposals for the second lander due December 6 and a winner expected in June 2023, NASA is deliberately running two development tracks in parallel — one refining an existing design, one cultivating something new. Together, they reflect an agency no longer content with planting a flag and returning home, but intent on building the infrastructure for humanity to stay.
NASA handed SpaceX a contract worth $1.15 billion on November 15 to build an improved version of its Starship lunar lander and carry astronauts to the moon a second time. The award, formally called Option B of NASA's Human Landing System contract, represents the agency's commitment to sustaining regular crewed missions to the lunar surface as part of its Artemis program.
SpaceX had originally won the HLS contract in April 2021 for $2.9 billion to develop the first Starship lander. That initial award was meant to support a single crewed demonstration mission. The new $1.15 billion modification extends the partnership, funding upgrades to the vehicle that will allow it to carry more astronauts and support longer stays on the moon's surface. Lisa Watson-Morgan, NASA's HLS program manager, framed the decision as essential to establishing what the agency calls a sustainable, service-based approach to lunar transportation—one built around recurring missions rather than one-off achievements.
The timing of this award reflects a shift in NASA's lunar strategy. In March, the agency announced its Sustaining Lunar Development effort, which opened competition for a second lander design from other contractors. SpaceX was barred from competing for that separate award, but NASA chose instead to exercise the option already written into SpaceX's original contract, upgrading Starship for the missions ahead. The company selected through the SLD competition will fly its demonstration mission no earlier than Artemis 5. SpaceX's upgraded Starship, meanwhile, will fly as the lander for Artemis 4—a mission NASA had previously planned to devote entirely to work on the lunar Gateway station, with no landing component.
The practical work of preparing Starship for these missions is already underway at SpaceX's test facility in Boca Chica, Texas. On November 14, the company conducted a static-fire test of its Super Heavy booster, igniting 14 of the vehicle's 33 Raptor engines—the most the company had ever fired in a single test. Elon Musk, SpaceX's chief executive, signaled that the company planned to follow this test with a 20-second engine burn and possibly one more static-fire before attempting an orbital launch. Mark Kirasich, NASA's deputy associate administrator for Artemis Campaign Development, told the NASA Advisory Council in late October that an orbital launch attempt could come as early as December, though that timeline depends on both the success of ground testing and approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Meanwhile, NASA is moving forward with its competition for the second lander. The agency set a December 6 deadline for proposals and expects to announce a winner in June 2023. That parallel track—one contractor upgrading an existing design, another building something new—reflects NASA's effort to ensure redundancy and sustained momentum in lunar exploration. The Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the moon and establish a lasting presence there, now has two separate development paths running in parallel, each with its own timeline and technical requirements.
Notable Quotes
Continuing our collaborative efforts with SpaceX through Option B furthers our resilient plans for regular crewed transportation to the lunar surface and establishing a long-term human presence under Artemis.— Lisa Watson-Morgan, NASA HLS program manager
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