New Nasa lunar contest could pit Elon Musk against Jeff Bezos, as US fears China will win race to Moon

New NASA Lunar Contest Pits Elon Musk Against Jeff Bezos

The US space agency has put its lunar lander contract, previously awarded to SpaceX, up for competition. The United States and China are in a tight race to send humans back to the Moon for the first time in over 50 years.

Within this international race, a new rivalry has emerged between American companies competing to build the lunar landing vehicle that could secure the Moon mission for the US. This competition notably pits Elon Musk against fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos.

Tensions Between SpaceX and NASA Leadership

The contest has already triggered a public dispute between Elon Musk and NASA’s acting administrator, Sean Duffy, revealing disagreements about the agency’s future strategies and leadership.

Background of the Lunar Lander Contract

In April 2021, SpaceX was awarded the contract to develop the lunar lander for NASA’s Artemis III mission, which aims to return American astronauts to the Moon for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972. The vehicle chosen was to be based on the innovative Starship, under development at SpaceX’s Texas facility.

SpaceX’s Starship Test Flights

Since April 2023, SpaceX has conducted 11 test flights of Starship.
In August and October 2025, launches succeeded, but the three flights before those ended in failure of the upper stage, the “ship” intended to carry astronauts.

Rising Pressure Due to Competition

With China intensifying its lunar ambitions, pressure has increased on SpaceX to speed progress, although milestone evaluations remain somewhat subjective.

On October 20, Sean Duffy announced the reopening of the $4 billion lunar lander contract to competition.

Author’s Summary

This emerging contest over NASA’s lunar lander highlights growing rivalries among American billionaires and reflects the broader US-China competition in lunar exploration.

The Conversation — 2025-11-01