Northrop Grumman ( NYSE: NOC ) is competing with former partner Blue Origin to win NASA’s $10 billion contract for its next moon lander. The aerospace company is teaming with Leidos ( LDOS ) unit Dynetics to develop a spacecraft that will bring astronauts to the lunar surface as part of the Artemis missions.
The rivalry marks a significant change from three years ago. Northrop at that time had worked with Blue Origin, the space exploration company started by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, on a bid for a lunar lander. Bezos called the joint effort the “National Team,” which also included Lockheed Martin ( LMT ) and Draper.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX won that award in 2021, prompting Blue Origin to protest NASA’s decision and file suit against the agency. A federal court last year ruled against the company. NASA later started another competition for a second moon lander as a backup to SpaceX’s.
Blue Origin on Tuesday in a tweet announced a new National Team that brings back Lockheed Martin ( LMT ) and Draper, and adds Boeing ( BA ), Astrobotic Technology and Honeybee Robotics. Blue Origin acquired Honeybee in January.
Blue Origin is considered the favorite to win the award, Bloomberg News reported while also pointing out that Northrop is a major contractor to NASA. It received $1.1 billion from the space agency last year.
“Our capabilities and experience in pioneering human exploration and space logistics will help provide a lunar transportation system that our nation can rely on for years to come,” Steve Krein, vice president of civil and commercial space at Northrop, said in a statement .
“As the only company to successfully build a crewed lunar lander, Northrop Grumman will be an excellent partner as we support NASA’s inspiring efforts to return humans to the lunar surface,” Steve Cook, president of Leidos Dynetics Group, said in the statement.
NASA is expected to announce the winner in June.
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Northrop vies with Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin for $10B NASA moon lander