This is not investment advice. The author has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Wccftech.com has a disclosure and ethics policy.
After it decided to seek alternatives to an $11 billion plan that would have seen a rocket fire off of the Martian surface to return samples collected by the Perseverance rover, NASA shared the list of firms that submitted approved proposals for a new initiative earlier today.
The space agency announced that it will offer a "contract for up to $1.5 million" to seven proposers out of a list of ten finalists selected after a request released in April. Some firms on this list are SpaceX and Lockheed Martin, two key players in NASA's multi billion dollar initiative to kick start lunar exploration after the Apollo program.
NASA Selects Seven Firms To Conduct Research On Recovering Samples From Mars
NASA's latest announcement follows a strong fourth test flight for SpaceX's Starship program. Starship, which is also the backbone of NASA's efforts to land the first humans on the Moon since the Apollo program, survived atmospheric reentry despite losing heat shield tiles during its descent and experiencing problems with its flaps yesterday.
SpaceX's overarching goal with Starship is to conduct crewed flights to Mars when possible, and along with Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, the firm is one of seven whose proposals NASA approved to evaluate for the contract award. This list also includes Blue Origin, Amazon founder and retail billionaire Jeff Bezos' aerospace and launch transportation systems provider.
Blue Origin's proposal seeks to leverage the Artemis program to return samples from Mars. Like SpaceX, its rocket and lander designs are also targeted to land crew on the Moon. Blue Origin is developing its New Glenn rocket along with the Blue Moon lunar lander, which is slated to fly to the Moon after the initial landings by Starship.
Another ambitious participant in NASA's Artemis program is defense contractor Lockheed Martin. Lockheed plans to develop a fully functioning base on the Moon, complete with a nuclear reactor and 5G internet connectivity. The firm is having a busy June on the space front, as it announced earlier this week that it will buy as many as 25 rocket launches from small lift rocket operator Firefly Aerospace.
The award seeks to leverage Firefly's low launch costs, according to Lockheed, and it expands Firefly's industry partnerships since it is also a key partner for NASA's low Earth orbit (LEO) contractor Northrop Grumman.
As for SpaceX, its proposal seeks to leverage Starship for NASA's Mars sample return. Starship's HLS variant is designed to lift off from the lunar surface, and early tests focused on its landing legs as part of vertical land landings. These legs are also important for Starship's Mars flights, and SpaceX's latest renders of the lander released in April saw an upgraded leg design. Instead of earlier variants that had housed the legs inside the ship, the latest images show them placed against its body.
NASA's engine contractor for the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, Aerojet Rocketdyne, is another major industry player selected for the Mars sample return mission proposals. Rocketdyne's engines have powered the Space Shuttle and are also being used on the SLS. Along with the engine manufacturer, startups Quantum Space and Whittinghill Aerospace also made the cut.
