NASA is reopening its contract for the Artemis III lunar landing mission after acknowledging delays from current contractor SpaceX.

The announcement came Monday during an interview on CNBC with Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy.

“SpaceX had the contract for Artemis III... by the way, I love SpaceX. It’s an amazing company. The problem is, they’re behind,” Duffy said.

The Artemis III mission aims to land American astronauts at the Moon’s south pole — a site of strategic and scientific importance due to confirmed ice deposits. But with SpaceX unlikely to meet the mission's 2027 deadline, NASA is once again inviting competition.

“Whatever one can get us there first to the Moon, we’re going to take,” Duffy said. “If SpaceX is behind and Blue Origin can do that before them... then good o

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