Jared Isaacman, newly confirmed as NASA administrator, said the agency will select whichever contractor—SpaceX or Blue Origin—delivers a crewed lunar lander first. SpaceX plans to fly a modified Starship for Artemis III in 2027, but NASA reopened SpaceX's contract in October after citing schedule concerns. Isaacman's ties to SpaceX drew scrutiny during confirmation, and public disputes between executives and officials have heightened political attention. A recent White House executive order calling for a permanent lunar presence and nuclear power by 2030 adds urgency to the race.
NASA To Pick The Lander That’s Ready First — SpaceX And Blue Origin In Direct Race
New NASA administrator Jared Isaacman is a former SpaceX astronaut.Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images
Jared Isaacman, newly confirmed as NASA administrator, has made it clear that the agency will move forward with whichever contractor delivers a crewed lunar lander first. That decision places Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin in a direct competition to ferry astronauts to the lunar surface for upcoming Artemis missions.
What Isaacman announced
On his first day as NASA administrator, Isaacman told Bloomberg TV that he informed both vendors the lander available first would be the vehicle NASA would rely on to "ensure that America achieves its strategic objectives on the moon." His remarks came a day after the U.S. Senate confirmed his nomination.
"I don't think it was lost on either vendor that whichever lander was available first to ensure that America achieves its strategic objectives on the moon is the one we were going to go with." — Jared Isaacman
Contracts, schedules and the Artemis timeline
Both SpaceX and Blue Origin hold NASA contracts to develop crewed lunar landers. SpaceX plans to use a modified version of its large Starship vehicle for the Artemis III mission, currently targeted for 2027, which aims to return humans to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years.
In October, then-acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy reopened SpaceX's lunar-lander contract, saying the company had fallen "behind schedule" and suggesting that NASA could pivot to Blue Origin's lander if necessary. That move intensified scrutiny of timelines, budgets and technical readiness for both companies.
Politics, personalities and public disputes
Isaacman's ties to SpaceX are notable: he flew on private SpaceX missions in 2021 and 2024 and participated in the first commercial spacewalk. Those connections drew attention during his confirmation process and contributed to political scrutiny.
The schedule dispute has been heated. Elon Musk publicly criticized the decision to reopen contracts, at one point blasting then-transportation officials and asserting that SpaceX could end up handling the entire moon mission itself.
Strategic context
Separately, a recent executive order from the White House has called for a sustained U.S. presence on the moon, including proposals for a permanent outpost and even nuclear power systems by 2030. That policy backdrop raises the stakes for which contractor can deliver safe, reliable crewed lander capability first.
What to watch next
- Development milestones and test flights from both SpaceX and Blue Origin.
- Any further NASA schedule updates or contract decisions tied to Artemis mission readiness.
- Technical reviews and safety assessments that could affect which lander is certified for crewed lunar operations.
As NASA moves toward returning humans to the lunar surface, agency officials say capability and schedule — not corporate ties — will determine which partner carries astronauts to the moon.
