CLPS: the Record of Commercial Landers, 2019–2026
What has NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services programme bought, and what has actually reached the surface?
Chapter summary
Since 2018 NASA has bought deliveries of science and technology payloads from private lander companies under fixed-price task orders, accepting that some would fail.
Key takeaways
- 1
By October 2026 four CLPS landers had launched: Astrobotic's Peregrine (January 2024) never reached the Moon after a propellant leak; Intuitive Machines' IM-1 (February 2024) landed but tipped; Firefly's Blue Ghost Mission 1 (March 2025) landed upright and worked for about two weeks; and IM-2 (March 2025) landed on its side.
- 2
No CLPS lander had launched in 2026 by October; the next, Astrobotic's Griffin-1, was planned for late November 2026.
- 3
The programme has delivered science, but the cadence NASA hoped for, two landings a year or more, has not yet happened.
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