NASA’s science chief says he wants the agency to treat future Moon and Mars missions like mass-produced “commercial off-the-shelf” spacecraft, including block buys of commercial landers and orbiters under the CLPS program. The idea fits with a growing push fro
When the conversation turns to the next steps beyond the Moon—toward Mars, Venus, or even the asteroid belt—NASA’s science leadership keeps circling back to one stubborn problem: the difficulty of scaling hardware fast enough.
“[W]hat can we do with these commercial off-the-shelf buses? I would love to walk in and say, ‘I’ll buy 10 of those,’” Fox said.
For Fox, the appeal isn’t just speed. It’s the idea of buying repeatable spacecraft the way the commercial world already buys standardized components—then tailoring the mission by swapping instruments and destinations.
NASA is now looking at “block buys” for the next series of commercial missions to the Moon. Under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. privately owned landers and orbiters carry NASA-owned payloads. serving as precursors for future human exploration. After the Moon, Mars is the next destination that could use the CLPS model, Fox said.
“Mars is sort of an obvious next one,” he said. “Why can’t I do that with a mission going somewhere else, and say, ‘Hey, who wants to take these instruments here?’ I’m actually really excited about the possibilities that the commercial sector open up to us.”
That excitement is landing in a moment when several companies are trying to make deep-space hardware more repeatable. Blue Origin is assembling and testing its first Blue Ring spacecraft. NASA’s roster of CLPS lander companies includes Firefly Aerospace, Intuitive Machines, Astrobotic, and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin.
Blue Origin is also working on a larger human-rated lunar lander for NASA, along with SpaceX.
But beyond those lunar landers, a wider push is underway. Some of the same companies—along with K2 Space. Rocket Lab. Apex Space. Blue Canyon. Millennium Space Systems. and now Vast—are working on mass-produced satellite platforms for use in Earth orbit or deep space. The manufacturers say their primary demand signals come from the US military and commercial markets. though NASA could benefit from designs built for those buyers.
Blue Origin describes its Blue Ring design. now preparing for its first test flight. as an “all-in-one. high-powered hybrid solar electric and chemical propelled spacecraft” capable of maneuvering. hosting. and deploying payloads in and around Earth orbits. the Moon. Mars. other planets. and near-Earth asteroids at “dramatically lower profile costs.”.
One idea tied to that modular approach is supported by Steve Squyres. Blue Origin’s chief scientist: using a Blue Ring to deploy multiple small satellites to prospect for resources around asteroids. Blue Origin was also one of several companies to win NASA study contracts last year to explore novel ways of delivering scientific payloads to difficult-to-reach destinations.
Put together, the pieces point in the same direction: Fox wants NASA to treat spacecraft hardware as something closer to a product line, while the industry increasingly designs for repeatability—so NASA can move instruments around the solar system without rebuilding every mission from scratch.
NASA CLPS commercial lunar payload services Blue Origin Blue Ring block buys mass-produced satellite platforms Mars missions Steve Squyres deep space