NASA’s acting chief, Sean Duffy, hinted on Monday that the agency might sideline SpaceX, which holds a $2.9 billion contract to provide a lunar lander for the Artemis III mission, and open the competition to other companies.

This potential change could mark a significant departure from NASA’s 2021 decision to select SpaceX’s Starship as the lunar lander for its historic moon landing mission, reported CNN.

Concerns over SpaceX’s schedule delays

Duffy expressed concerns about SpaceX’s development timeline for Starship, suggesting it may jeopardise NASA’s goal of returning astronauts to the moon before China in the ongoing space race. “They push their timelines out, and we’re in a race against China,” Duffy stated on CNBC’s Squawk Box Monday morning, referring to SpaceX’s Starship, which has experienced three in-flight failures and only a few successful suborbital test flights in 2025.

Opening competition to other companies

To address these concerns, Duffy announced plans to reconsider the lunar lander contract. “So, I’m going to open up the contract. I’m going to let other space companies compete with SpaceX,” he told CNBC, signalling NASA’s intent to ensure the Artemis III mission, scheduled for mid-2027, stays on track.

Duffy’s comments follow growing concerns among space industry leaders about the complexities of using SpaceX’s Starship, which is still in early development. Critics argue that these logistical challenges could hinder NASA’s ability to outpace China in the lunar race, as previously reported by CNN.

NASA has already contracted two companies for lunar landers: SpaceX, with its Starship vehicle, and Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos, which is developing a lander called Blue Moon.