--- title: "NASA May Ditch SpaceX for Moon Landing Because It’s So Behind" description: "NASA is getting ready to ditch SpaceX for its first attempt to deliver astronauts to the Moon's surface in over half a century due to delays." date: "2025-10-20" modified: "2025-10-20" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/space/nasa-spacex-moon-delays" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "Jeff Bezos" - "Moon" - "NASA" - "Off-World" - "Space" - "SpaceX" - "The Industrialists" --- # NASA May Ditch SpaceX for Moon Landing Because It’s So Behind ![NASA is getting ready to ditch SpaceX for its first attempt to deliver astronauts to the Moon's surface in over half a century due to delays.]() *SpaceX* NASA is getting ready to ditch SpaceX for its first attempt to deliver astronauts to the Moon's surface in over half a century. As [*Reuters* reports](), NASA's interim administrator Sean Duffy indicated the space agency is looking to tap Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin — one of SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's biggest rivals — instead. "I'm in the process of opening that contract up. I think we'll see companies like Blue get involved, and maybe others," he told *Fox News* during a televised interview on Monday. "We're going to have a space race in regard to American companies competing to see who can actually get us back to the Moon first." It's an astonishing twist, showing that NASA is growing wary of SpaceX and its enormous Starship spacecraft falling behind schedule. The rocket's development has been mired in setbacks over the last couple of years, raising concerns among NASA officials that a [Human Landing Systems variant]() may not be ready to deliver astronauts from the Moon's orbit down to the surface as soon as 2027, as part of its Artemis 3 mission. The White House [has indicated]() that it doesn't want to [fall behind China](), which is currently aiming to reach the Moon by 2030. Experts have [previously warned]() that SpaceX could set the space agency up for an ever-slipping timeline, which could result in China beating the United States to the lunar surface. "We're going to have a space race in regard to American companies competing to see who can actually get us back to the moon first," Duffy told *Fox*. Duffy took direct aim at Musk's SpaceX, saying that "they're behind schedule, adding that the "president wants to make sure we beat the Chinese." During a town hall last month, the interim administrator, who doubles as the [secretary of transportation](), [told NASA staff]() that "sometimes we can let safety be the enemy of making progress," highlighting the lengths to which the agency is willing to go to get there first. Duffy's latest comments also could shed light on simmering resentment between president Donald Trump and Musk. Their once extremely close bromance [deteriorated in spectacular fashion]() earlier this year, and it remains unclear whether the two still see eye to eye. (The two were seen [engaged in conversation and shaking hands]() during Charlie Kirk's memorial service last month, but it's unclear whether that led to any real change in the relationship.) Meanwhile, Bezos' Blue Origin has been working on a lunar lander, dubbed Blue Moon, the second of its kind under contract by NASA's Artemis program after SpaceX's Starship. It's currently tapped to deliver a crew of four astronauts as part of NASA's Artemis 5 mission, slated for 2030. Given the continued animosity between Bezos and Musk — the pair have [openly been feuding for years]() — Duffy's latest comments could once again stoke the flames. Earlier Artemis contract negotiations [ended in Bezos suing NASA](). SpaceX's Starship [completed its eleventh flight]() test last week, the last time a Version 2 launched. Whether a revised Version 3, which is scheduled to make its maiden voyage some time next year, will fare any better — let alone rekindle NASA's trust — remains to be seen. **More on SpaceX:** [*SpaceX Now Causing NASA to Lose Space Race to China, Experts Say*]() ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()