NASA has set an ambitious target: landing on the Moon up to 21 times over the next 30 months. Achieving this goal will require sweeping changes in how the agency acquires lunar landers and resolves persistent technical issues that have derailed recent missions.
Since 2022, three of the last four U.S. lunar landing attempts have failed, highlighting critical gaps in reliability and execution. To meet its objectives, NASA must overhaul its approach to purchasing landers, enhance oversight of its industrial partners, and streamline a supply chain notorious for delays.
These landers are distinct from NASA’s Human Landing System (HLS) program, which has secured contracts with SpaceX and Blue Origin to develop human-rated landers for the Artemis program. The HLS landers will transport astronauts to and from the lunar surface.
In parallel, NASA plans to execute dozens of robotic and cargo landings to deliver payloads that support future Moon base operations. These missions will scout potential base locations, test technologies for larger vehicles, and demonstrate methods for mining lunar resources and sustaining operations during the two-week lunar night.
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