Every Company With a NASA Ignition Contract: The Complete List

NASA's Project Ignition is not being built by one company. It is a web of prime contracts, subcontracts, international agreements, and competitive task orders spanning dozens of organizations across multiple countries. If you want to understand who is actually building the Moon base — and who stands to profit from it — you need to follow the contracts.

This is the complete list of every major company and agency with a confirmed role in Project Ignition and the broader Artemis architecture that supports it. We update this article as new contracts are awarded. For live tracking, visit our Ignition Tracker.

Prime Contractors

These are the companies holding the largest, most critical contracts in the Artemis/Ignition ecosystem. Each is responsible for a major hardware element without which the program cannot proceed.

SpaceX — Starship Human Landing System (~$4 billion)

SpaceX holds the original Human Landing System (HLS) contract, awarded in April 2021 and valued at approximately $2.89 billion, later supplemented with additional funding bringing the total to roughly $4 billion. The Starship HLS variant will carry astronauts from lunar orbit to the surface and back. It is the linchpin of crewed landings starting with Artemis IV (targeting no earlier than 2028).

Beyond HLS, Starship is expected to serve as the primary heavy-lift cargo vehicle for delivering large Ignition infrastructure elements — habitats, power systems, and rovers — to the lunar surface. No other vehicle currently in development can match its payload capacity to the Moon.

Blue Origin — Blue Moon Habitat and Sustaining Lander (~$3.4 billion)

Blue Origin was awarded the Sustaining Lunar Development contract in May 2023, valued at $3.4 billion. Under this contract, Blue Origin is developing the Blue Moon lander, which will provide an alternative crew landing capability and deliver habitat modules to the lunar surface. Under Project Ignition, Blue Origin's habitat is targeted for delivery in the 2032–2033 timeframe as part of Phase 3.

Blue Origin leads a national team that includes Lockheed Martin, Draper, Boeing, and Astrobotic as major subcontractors on the Sustaining Lander effort. See the SpaceX vs. Blue Origin comparison for a detailed breakdown of how the two lander architectures differ.

Lockheed Martin — Orion Spacecraft (Multi-billion)

Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor for the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, the capsule that carries astronauts from Earth to lunar orbit and back. The Orion contract dates to 2006 and has grown to well over $20 billion in cumulative value across development, production, and sustainment. Each Orion capsule is designed to be partially reusable, with the crew module pressure vessel rated for multiple flights.

Orion is the only crew-rated deep space vehicle currently in production anywhere in the world. It will fly on every crewed Artemis mission, including all missions that deliver crew to Project Ignition surface infrastructure.

Northrop Grumman — HALO Module

Northrop Grumman was originally contracted to build the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) for the Lunar Gateway. Following the Ignition announcement, NASA indicated that HALO and other Gateway modules would be repurposed for surface applications rather than assembled in lunar orbit. Northrop Grumman remains the contractor for this hardware. The exact reconfiguration is still being defined, but the module's life support and habitation capabilities make it a strong candidate for early surface shelter.

Boeing — SLS Core Stage

Boeing is the prime contractor for the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage, the massive liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen booster that generates 8.8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. Boeing builds the core stage at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. SLS is currently the only rocket capable of sending the Orion crew capsule to the Moon in a single launch. The SLS contract has been valued at over $10 billion cumulatively, and each core stage costs approximately $2.2 billion.

Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) Providers

The CLPS program is NASA's mechanism for buying rides to the lunar surface from commercial companies. Rather than building its own robotic landers, NASA contracts with private firms to deliver instruments and technology demonstrations. Under Ignition Phase 1, CLPS is being dramatically expanded to target a near-monthly delivery cadence to the south pole region.

Intuitive Machines (Nova-C)

Intuitive Machines made history in February 2024 when its Nova-C lander (IM-1 “Odysseus”) became the first commercial spacecraft to soft-land on the Moon, despite tipping on its side at touchdown. The company holds multiple CLPS task orders worth hundreds of millions of dollars and is developing larger lander variants for heavier payloads. Intuitive Machines is publicly traded (NASDAQ: LUNR) and is one of the most active CLPS providers.

Astrobotic (Peregrine, Griffin)

Astrobotic has two lander platforms: Peregrine (small payloads) and Griffin (medium-to-large payloads, including NASA's VIPER rover, which was canceled in 2024 due to cost overruns). Astrobotic's Peregrine Mission 1 in January 2024 experienced a propulsion failure and did not achieve lunar landing. The company holds CLPS contracts collectively worth over $300 million and is also a subcontractor on Blue Origin's Sustaining Lander team.

Firefly Aerospace (Blue Ghost)

Firefly Aerospace developed the Blue Ghost lander for CLPS missions. Blue Ghost 1, carrying 10 NASA payloads, launched in January 2025 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 and successfully reached lunar orbit. Firefly holds CLPS task orders and is positioning Blue Ghost as a versatile delivery platform for Ignition Phase 1 surface payloads.

Draper

Draper (formally the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory) is a CLPS provider selected for task orders delivering payloads to the lunar far side. Draper brings deep heritage in guidance, navigation, and control systems dating back to the Apollo program, when it developed the Apollo guidance computer.

Masten Space Systems (Defunct)

Masten Space Systems was selected as a CLPS provider and awarded a $75.9 million task order for a south pole delivery mission. However, Masten filed for bankruptcy in 2022 and its assets were acquired by Astrobotic. The CLPS task order was canceled. This is a reminder that not every company in the lunar supply chain will survive to see hardware fly.

International Partners

Project Ignition is an international effort, built on the framework of the Artemis Accords signed by over 40 nations as of 2026. Key international hardware contributions include:

JAXA (Japan) — Pressurized Rover

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), in partnership with Toyota, is developing a pressurized lunar rover that will allow astronauts to drive across the lunar surface in a shirt-sleeve environment. The rover is targeting delivery via Starship around 2032. This is one of the most significant international contributions to Ignition and gives Japan a prominent role in surface operations.

ESA (European Space Agency) — I-Hab and Service Module

The European Space Agency is contributing the International Habitation module (I-Hab), originally designed for Gateway, which is now being evaluated for surface repurposing under Ignition. ESA also builds the European Service Module (ESM) for Orion, which provides propulsion, power, and life support during the journey to and from the Moon. The ESM is manufactured by Airbus Defence and Space in Bremen, Germany.

ASI (Italian Space Agency) — Surface Elements

The Italian Space Agency (ASI) has agreements with NASA to contribute pressurized surface elements for lunar habitation. Italy has significant experience building pressurized modules for the International Space Station (several ISS modules were built by Thales Alenia Space in Turin).

CSA (Canadian Space Agency) — Canadarm3 and Surface Systems

The Canadian Space Agency is developing Canadarm3, an advanced robotic arm system originally designed for Gateway. Canada's robotics expertise (Canadarm, Canadarm2, Dextre) is expected to translate into surface robotics contributions for base assembly and maintenance. In exchange for these contributions, a Canadian astronaut will fly on Artemis missions.

Subsystem and Support Contractors

Aerojet Rocketdyne / L3Harris — RS-25 Engines

Aerojet Rocketdyne (now part of L3Harris Technologies following a 2023 acquisition) manufactures the RS-25 engines that power the SLS core stage. These are modernized versions of the Space Shuttle Main Engines. NASA contracted for 24 new RS-25 engines to support Artemis missions through the 2030s, in a contract valued at approximately $1.8 billion.

Jacobs — Ground Systems

Jacobs Engineering holds the Exploration Ground Systems contract at Kennedy Space Center, responsible for modifying and operating the launch infrastructure for SLS, including the mobile launcher, Vehicle Assembly Building operations, and pad systems at Launch Complex 39B.

Axiom Space — AxEMU Spacesuits

Axiom Space was awarded the contract to develop the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU), the next-generation spacesuits that astronauts will wear for moonwalks during Artemis surface missions. The AxEMU contract, part of NASA's Exploration Extravehicular Activity Services (xEVAS) program, is valued at up to $3.5 billion over the life of the program. These suits replace the aging EMU suits used on the ISS and are designed for the harsh lunar south pole environment.

How Smaller Companies Can Compete for Ignition Work

Project Ignition is not limited to billion-dollar prime contractors. The program is explicitly structured to create opportunities for small and mid-size businesses. Here is how to get in the door:

Register on SAM.gov

Every company seeking federal contracts must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov). This is a prerequisite for bidding on any NASA contract, including CLPS task orders, SBIR grants, and subcontracting opportunities. Registration is free but takes several weeks to process. Visit our procurement intelligence page for current NASA and DoD solicitations.

SBIR and STTR Programs

NASA's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs fund early-stage technology development relevant to Ignition. Phase I awards are typically $150,000 for 6 months; Phase II awards are up to $750,000 for 24 months. Many current CLPS providers started with SBIR funding.

CLPS Task Orders

Companies can apply to be added to the CLPS provider pool. NASA periodically re-opens the vendor selection process. Even companies not selected as prime CLPS providers can subcontract with existing providers to fly instruments or technology demonstrations on upcoming missions.

Subcontracting

Large prime contractors are required to meet small business subcontracting goals on major NASA contracts. SpaceX, Blue Origin, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Northrop Grumman all maintain supplier portals where smaller companies can register interest and capabilities.

For a deeper look at navigating government space contracts, see our guide to SAM.gov and government space contracts.

Track the companies and contracts in real time on our company profiles directory.

Track Project Ignition live: Visit our Ignition Tracker for real-time milestones, contract tracking, and company involvement.