The Lunar Economy White Paper
**January 2026**
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Executive Summary
The Moon is experiencing its busiest decade since the Apollo era—but not everyone is joining the party.
While headlines paint a picture of universal lunar ambition, the reality is more nuanced. A handful of nations and private companies are racing to establish permanent presence on the Moon, driven by resource extraction potential, scientific discovery, and geopolitical positioning. Meanwhile, most of the world's 195 countries have no lunar ambitions whatsoever.
This white paper provides a comprehensive analysis of:
- The **private sector players** (SpaceX, Blue Origin, and the commercial lander ecosystem)
- **National programs** across the US, China, India, Russia, Japan, and emerging players
- **Countries NOT pursuing the Moon**—and why
- The **value propositions** that make lunar resources worth trillions
- **Timeline realities** versus marketing promises
The conclusions are clear: the Moon represents genuine economic opportunity, the competition is real, and the winners of this decade's lunar positioning will shape space economics for the next century.
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PART ONE: THE PRIVATE SECTOR ARMS RACE
The Big Three: Musk, Bezos, and the Battle for NASA Contracts
SpaceX (Elon Musk)
**The Contract:** $2.9 billion from NASA to develop the Human Landing System (HLS) for Artemis III and IV
**The Vehicle:** Starship HLS—a modified version of the largest rocket ever built
- 165 feet (50 meters) tall
- 600+ cubic meters of pressurized volume (two-thirds of the entire ISS)
- Capacity: Up to 100 metric tons to the lunar surface
- Two airlocks, each with double the internal volume of the Apollo Lunar Module
- Elevator system to transport astronauts to the surface (the spacecraft is too tall for a ladder)
**The Challenge:** Orbital refueling
Before each lunar mission, Starship must be refueled in Earth orbit by 10-15 tanker flights. This requires:
1. A propellant depot in Earth orbit
2. Multiple tanker launches
3. Ship-to-ship cryogenic propellant transfer (never demonstrated at scale)
4. Managing propellant boil-off in orbit
**Current Status (January 2026):**
- 11 test flights completed, last two fully successful
- Orbital propellant transfer demonstration delayed to 2026
- Block 3 Starship (required for lunar missions) expected Q1 2026
- Internal SpaceX documents suggest crewed lunar landing no earlier than September 2028
**The Drama:** In October 2025, acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy announced NASA would reopen the Artemis III contract to competitors, citing SpaceX delays. Musk responded with social media attacks, calling Duffy "Sean Dummy" and stating "Starship will end up doing the whole moon mission. Mark my words."
**Beyond NASA:** SpaceX's original private lunar ambition—the dearMoon project to fly artists around the Moon—was cancelled in June 2024 after years of delays. Musk's primary focus remains Mars colonization, with uncrewed Starship launches to Mars planned for 2026.
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Blue Origin (Jeff Bezos)
**The Philosophy:** "It's time to go back to the Moon—but this time to stay." — Jeff Bezos, 2017
**The Vehicles:**
**Blue Moon Mark 1 (Cargo Lander)**
- Height: 26 feet (8 meters)
- Payload capacity: 3,000 kg (3 metric tons)—30x more than most CLPS landers
- Propulsion: Single BE-7 engine (first lunar-rated engine developed in decades)
- Launch vehicle: New Glenn
- First mission: Blue Moon Pathfinder, Q1 2026, targeting Shackleton Crater at South Pole
**Blue Moon Mark 2 (Crewed Lander)**
- Height: ~52 feet (15 meters)
- Payload capacity: 20 metric tons (reusable) / 30 metric tons (expendable)
- Crew capacity: 4 astronauts for up to 30 days
- NASA contract: $3.4 billion for Artemis V (2030)
- Requires refueling via Cislunar Transporter (built by Lockheed Martin)
**Competitive Advantage:**
- Simpler architecture than Starship (smaller vehicle, fewer refueling flights)
- New Glenn successfully launched January 2025
- Self-funded demonstration missions (not waiting for NASA milestones)
- If SpaceX continues to struggle, Blue Origin could potentially win Artemis III contract
**The Stakes:** "Prior to the end of this decade, we will be landing two crews on the lunar surface." — Dave Limp, Blue Origin CEO
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The CLPS Ecosystem: NASA's "Many Shots on Goal" Strategy
NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program outsources lunar deliveries to private companies, accepting higher risk for faster innovation and lower costs.
**Program Details:**
- Budget: $2.6 billion ceiling through 2028
- Philosophy: NASA provides payloads and money; companies handle everything else
- Eligible companies: 14 as of 2025
**The Scorecard:**
| Company | Mission | Date | Result | Notes |
|---------|---------|------|--------|-------|
| **Astrobotic** | Peregrine 1 | Jan 2024 | ❌ Failed | Propellant leak, never reached Moon |
| **Intuitive Machines** | IM-1 (Odysseus) | Feb 2024 | 🟡 Partial | First private landing—tipped on side |
| **Firefly Aerospace** | Blue Ghost 1 | Mar 2025 | ✅ Success | **First fully successful commercial landing** |
| **Intuitive Machines** | IM-2 (Athena) | Mar 2025 | 🟡 Partial | Landed, tipped over, limited operations |
| **ispace (Japan)** | Hakuto-R M2 | Jun 2025 | ❌ Failed | Laser Range Finder failure, crashed |
| **Blue Origin** | Mark 1 Pathfinder | Q1 2026 | Pending | Targeting Shackleton Crater |
| **Astrobotic** | Griffin-1 | Jul 2026 | Pending | Largest commercial lander to date |
| **Firefly** | Blue Ghost 2 | Late 2026 | Pending | Moon's far side (first Western far-side landing) |
| **Intuitive Machines** | IM-3 | H2 2026 | Pending | Third attempt |
**Key Lesson:** Landing on the Moon is still incredibly hard. Even in 2025, with modern technology, multiple well-funded companies have crashed or tipped over. But Firefly's March 2025 success proves the commercial model can work.
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Other Private Players
**Astrobotic (Pittsburgh)**
- Griffin lander: Up to 625 kg payload capacity
- FLIP rover partnership with Astrolab
- Mission 1 delayed to July 2026 due to supply chain issues
- Originally contracted to deliver NASA's VIPER rover (now cancelled/revived)
**Intuitive Machines (Houston)**
- Nova-C lander platform
- Has landed twice (both times tipped over)
- Persistent, learning from failures
- IM-3 scheduled for late 2026
**ispace (Japan/US)**
- Hakuto-R lander series
- Two failed landing attempts (2023, 2025)
- Mission 3 planned for 2026 with shortened transit time
- "Never Quit the Lunar Quest" — company motto
**Draper Laboratory**
- CLPS contract for far-side delivery
- Mission scheduled 2026-2027
- Partnership with ispace
**Firefly Aerospace (Texas)**
- Blue Ghost lander platform
- **Only company with clean commercial landing (March 2025)**
- Four CLPS contracts awarded
- Blue Ghost 2 targeting Moon's far side (2026)
- Blue Ghost 3 targeting Gruithuisen Domes (2028)
- Also developing Elytra space tug for orbital transfers
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PART TWO: THE NATIONAL PROGRAMS
Tier 1: The Superpowers
United States (NASA Artemis Program)
**Budget:** ~$93 billion spent through 2025; additional funding through FY2032 via One Big Beautiful Bill Act
**The Plan:**
| Mission | Target Date | Objective |
|---------|-------------|-----------|
| Artemis I | ✅ Nov 2022 | Uncrewed test flight—successful |
| Artemis II | Feb 2026 | First crew around Moon since 1972 |
| Artemis III | Mid-2027* | First crewed landing since Apollo 17 |
| Artemis IV | 2028 | First Gateway mission |
| Artemis V | 2030 | Blue Origin crewed landing |
| Artemis VI-XI | 2032-2036 | Sustained lunar presence |
*Likely to slip to 2028 based on SpaceX delays
**Artemis II Crew:**
- Reid Wiseman (Commander)
- Victor Glover — First person of color to travel to the Moon
- Christina Koch — First woman to travel to the Moon
- Jeremy Hansen (CSA) — First non-American to travel to the Moon
**Lunar Gateway:**
- International space station in lunar orbit
- Partners: NASA, ESA, JAXA, CSA, UAE
- Initial modules (PPE + HALO) launching 2027 on Falcon Heavy
- 15+ year lifespan
- Currently threatened by Trump administration budget proposals
**Political Uncertainty:** The May 2025 budget proposal recommended cancelling SLS, Orion, and Gateway after Artemis III. Congress has pushed back, but the program's post-2027 future remains uncertain.
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China (CNSA Chang'e Program)
**Track Record:**
- Chang'e 1 (2007): First Chinese lunar orbiter
- Chang'e 3 (2013): First Chinese soft landing
- Chang'e 4 (2019): **First-ever far side landing** (historic global first)
- Chang'e 5 (2020): Sample return (1.7 kg)
- Chang'e 6 (2024): **First-ever far side sample return** (another global first)
**Upcoming Missions:**
| Mission | Date | Objective |
|---------|------|-----------|
| Chang'e 7 | Aug 2026 | South Pole water ice search; orbiter + lander + rover + flying probe |
| Chang'e 8 | 2028-29 | 3D printing test, ISRU demonstration |
| Crewed Landing | Before 2030 | Long March 10 rocket + Mengzhou spacecraft + Lanyue lander |
| ILRS Phase 1 | 2035 | Permanent robotic/crewed base at South Pole |
| ILRS Phase 2 | 2050 | Multi-station network |
**International Lunar Research Station (ILRS):**
China's alternative to Artemis, built with Russia
**Member Nations:** Russia, Pakistan, Venezuela, Belarus, South Africa, Egypt, Thailand, Serbia, Kazakhstan, Senegal, Turkey, and others (17+ countries)
**Partner Organizations:** 40+ institutions including ILOA (Hawaii), Thales (France), various universities
**Key Advantage:** China executes. While Artemis faces delays, budget battles, and political uncertainty, China has achieved six consecutive successful lunar missions, including two global firsts (far-side landing and far-side sample return).
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India (ISRO)
**The Breakthrough:** Chandrayaan-3 (August 2023)
- First spacecraft to land near the South Pole
- Fourth country ever to soft-land on the Moon
- Landed successfully just 48 hours after Russia's Luna-25 crashed
- August 23 declared National Space Day in India
- Budget: ~$75 million (1/10th the cost of comparable missions)
**Upcoming Missions:**
| Mission | Date | Objective |
|---------|------|-----------|
| Chandrayaan-4 | 2027-28 | Sample return (2-3 kg); most complex Indian space mission ever |
| LUPEX | 2028-29 | Joint with JAXA; water ice exploration at South Pole |
| Gaganyaan | 2025-26 | First Indian crewed spaceflight (Earth orbit) |
| Crewed Lunar | 2040 | Long-term goal for Indian astronauts on Moon |
**India's Model:** Cost-effective, methodical, leveraging indigenous technology. Chandrayaan-3's success at 1/10th the cost of comparable missions demonstrates that lunar exploration doesn't require NASA-scale budgets.
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Russia (Roscosmos)
**The Situation:** Russia's lunar program is struggling.
**Luna-25 (August 2023):** First Russian lunar mission in 47 years—crashed during landing attempt due to thruster malfunction.
**Current Delays:**
- Luna-26 (orbiter): Delayed to 2028 (originally 2024)
- Luna-27 (lander): Delayed to unknown date (originally 2025)
- Luna-28 (sample return): After 2030
**Challenges:**
- Western sanctions limiting access to components
- Brain drain of engineers
- Budget constraints
- ESA ended all cooperation in April 2022 following Ukraine invasion
- No successful lunar mission since Luna-24 in 1976
**ILRS Partnership:** Russia is nominally partnered with China on the International Lunar Research Station, but its actual contribution capability is questionable given current circumstances.
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Tier 2: The Rising Powers
Japan (JAXA)
**Achievements:**
- SLIM "Moon Sniper" (January 2024): Most precise lunar landing in history (within 55 meters of target)—though spacecraft landed upside down
- Hayabusa missions: World's first asteroid sample returns
**Current/Upcoming:**
- LUPEX (2028-29): Joint mission with India; JAXA provides rover and H3 rocket
- Gateway contributions: Life support systems, batteries, HTV-XG cargo ships
- Toyota Lunar Cruiser: Pressurized rover for Artemis, 10,000 km range, 2 astronauts for 42 days
**Private Sector:** ispace continues attempting commercial lunar landings despite two failures
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South Korea (KASA)
**Status:**
- Danuri orbiter: Successfully operating in lunar orbit since December 2022
- Lunar lander: Planned for 2030, using domestic rocket
- Moon base: Long-term goal by 2045
- Converting abandoned mine to lunar exploration testing ground
**Strategy:** Building capability incrementally; partnering with NASA and ESA
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UAE (Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre)
**Missions:**
- Rashid 1 rover: Lost with ispace Hakuto-R Mission 1 crash (April 2023)
- Rashid 2 rover: Scheduled on Firefly Blue Ghost 2 (2026)
**Strategy:** Partnering with commercial companies (ispace, Firefly) rather than building full missions
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Israel (SpaceIL)
**History:**
- Beresheet 1 (April 2019): First privately funded lunar landing attempt—crashed during landing
- Beresheet 2: Planned for 2025-26; more ambitious follow-up
**Significance:** Demonstrated that non-superpowers and private organizations can attempt lunar missions
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Australia
**Partnership:** NASA-funded rover mission planned for 2026
**Focus:** Resource extraction and automation technologies
**Leverage:** Mining and robotics expertise from terrestrial industries
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Tier 3: Contributors (Not Landing)
These countries contribute technology, expertise, or funding to lunar missions but are not pursuing independent landing capabilities:
| Country | Contribution | Partnership |
|---------|--------------|-------------|
| **Canada** | Canadarm3 robotic arm | Gateway (NASA) |
| **Germany** | DLR robotics, habitat tech | ESA, Artemis |
| **France** | CNES propulsion, communications | ESA |
| **Italy** | ASI precision payloads, landers | ESA, NASA |
| **UK** | Technology development | Artemis Accords |
| **Luxembourg** | Space mining policy, ISRU investment | Commercial sector |
| **Sweden** | Joint missions with NASA/JAXA | Artemis |
| **Mexico** | Micro-rover on future mission | NASA partnership |
| **Brazil** | Satellite tech, payload systems | Artemis Accords |
| **Turkey** | Hard/soft landing planned by 2030 | Independent |
| **Ukraine** | Lunar cave exploration (delayed by war) | US/UK partnership |
**European Space Agency (ESA):**
ESA as an organization hasn't signed the Artemis Accords (requires consensus of 22 member states), but contributes:
- Orion European Service Module
- Gateway modules (I-Hab, Lunar View, Lunar Link)
- PROSPECT drill (now flying on CLPS instead of Russian missions)
- Lunar Pathfinder communications satellite
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Countries NOT Pursuing the Moon
**The Reality Check:** The vast majority of the world's ~195 countries have no lunar ambitions.
**Why Not?**
1. **Cost:** Lunar missions cost hundreds of millions to billions of dollars. Most national budgets prioritize terrestrial concerns.
2. **No Space Program:** Only ~77 countries have any space agency; only ~14 have orbital launch capability.
3. **Different Priorities:** Many nations focus on:
- Earth observation satellites (climate, agriculture, disaster monitoring)
- Communications infrastructure
- GPS/navigation systems
- None of the above
4. **Strategic Irrelevance:** For countries without aerospace industries, lunar mining rights and South Pole positioning provide no near-term benefit.
**Notable Absences from Lunar Ambitions:**
- Most of Africa (except South Africa's ILRS involvement and Egypt's Chang'e 7 payload)
- Most of South America (Brazil participates in Artemis but has no lunar mission)
- Most of Southeast Asia (except Thailand's ILRS involvement)
- Central America
- Caribbean nations
- Pacific island nations
- Central Asian states (except Kazakhstan's legacy Soviet infrastructure)
**The Divide:** Lunar exploration is essentially limited to:
- G7 nations + China + Russia + India
- Their close allies and partners
- A handful of wealthy smaller nations (UAE, Luxembourg, Israel)
- Private companies (almost exclusively American and Japanese)
This is not a global endeavor. It's a competition among wealthy, technologically advanced nations and their commercial champions.
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PART THREE: THE GEOPOLITICAL LANDSCAPE
Two Competing Alliances
Artemis Accords (US-Led)
**Core Principles:**
- Peaceful exploration
- Transparency of operations
- Interoperability standards
- Emergency assistance obligations
- Heritage site preservation (Apollo landing sites)
- Resource extraction framework (supports commercial mining rights)
**Key Members:** US, UK, Canada, Japan, Australia, South Korea, UAE, India, France, Germany, Italy, Brazil, and 47 others
International Lunar Research Station (China-Led)
**Principles:** "Mutual consultation, joint construction, shared benefits"
**Key Members:** China, Russia, Pakistan, Venezuela, Belarus, South Africa, Egypt, Thailand, Serbia, Kazakhstan, Turkey
**The Tension:** Both alliances want the same South Pole real estate—the permanently shadowed craters containing water ice. There is no international agreement on lunar resource rights or territorial claims.
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The Race That Matters
| Milestone | US/Artemis | China/ILRS |
|-----------|------------|------------|
| **Next Robotic Landing** | Multiple 2025-26 (CLPS) | Chang'e 7 (Aug 2026) |
| **Crewed Lunar Flyby** | Artemis II (Feb 2026) | Not planned |
| **Crewed Landing** | Artemis III (2027-28*) | Before 2030 |
| **Permanent Base** | Artemis Base Camp (2030s) | ILRS Phase 1 (2035) |
| **Sample Return** | Via Artemis missions | ✅ Done (2020, 2024) |
*Likely to slip
**Assessment:** China has momentum. Six consecutive successful missions, two global firsts, and a government that doesn't face budget battles or election cycles. The US has more resources and commercial partners, but execution has been slower than planned.
If China lands astronauts on the Moon before Artemis III, the geopolitical and psychological impact would be significant—comparable to Sputnik.
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PART FOUR: THE VALUE PROPOSITION
Why the Moon Actually Matters
**"This all sounds expensive. Why bother?"**
Because the Moon contains resources that could transform energy production, space transportation, and supply chain economics on Earth.
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Resource Analysis
1. Water Ice
**Location:** Permanently shadowed craters near both poles
**Quantity:** 600+ million metric tons (north pole alone); potentially 270 trillion kg in glass beads across surface
**Value:** The most important resource for space transportation
**Why It Matters:**
1 ton of lunar water = 890 kg oxygen + 110 kg hydrogen = rocket fuel
Instead of launching fuel from Earth (expensive, heavy), you mine it on the Moon. This changes everything:
- Refuel spacecraft in lunar orbit
- Reduce Mars mission costs by 10x
- Enable permanent space presence
- Create "gas station" economics
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2. Helium-3
**Earth Supply:** Less than 25 tons total
**Moon Supply:** 650,000 to 3,000,000 tons
**Potential Value:** $3,000-5,000 per gram; some estimates at $3 million/kg
**Why It Matters:**
Helium-3 is the ideal fuel for nuclear fusion reactors—the kind that produce clean energy without radioactive waste. If fusion power becomes commercially viable, Helium-3 becomes the new oil.
**Who's Pursuing It:**
- **Interlune** (Seattle): Founded by former Blue Origin executive and Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt. Contracts to deliver He-3 by 2029. $300M+ in agreements.
- **China:** Explicitly stated national priority
**The Catch:** You need to process ~150 tons of lunar regolith per gram of He-3. This requires industrial-scale mining operations.
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3. Oxygen
**Availability:** 45% of lunar soil by weight (everywhere, not just poles)
**Extraction:** 20+ proven methods including hydrogen reduction, molten salt electrolysis
**Why It Matters:**
- Rocket oxidizer
- Breathable air
- Literally walking on fuel
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4. Construction Materials
**Regolith Composition:**
- Silicon: 21%
- Iron: 14%
- Aluminum: 13%
- Titanium: 5-8%
- Calcium: 8%
- Magnesium: 5%
- Free metallic iron: 0.5% (extractable with magnets)
**3D Printing:**
- ESA has printed building blocks from simulated lunar material
- Chang'e 8 (2028) will test actual lunar 3D printing
- Lab tests: 312 MPa compressive strength (regular concrete: 20-40 MPa)
- Potential: 90% of structures built from local materials
**Why It Matters:** You can't launch buildings to the Moon. You have to build them there. From Moon stuff.
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5. Rare Earth Elements
**The Problem:** China controls ~60% of rare earth production, ~90% of processing. These elements are essential for EVs, wind turbines, electronics, and military systems.
**The Opportunity:** KREEP regions on the Moon contain rare earth elements. Lower concentration than Earth, but:
- No environmental constraints
- No geopolitical leverage
- Strategic supply chain diversification
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6. Energy
**Solar Advantage:**
- No atmosphere = 30% more efficient solar panels
- Certain polar locations = 80-90% annual sunlight
- Powers all mining/processing operations
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The Economic Logic
| Traditional Space Model | Lunar-Enabled Model |
|------------------------|---------------------|
| Launch everything from Earth | Mine fuel on Moon |
| $10,000+ per kg to orbit | Refuel in space |
| Mars missions = $100B+ | Mars missions = fraction of cost |
| Single-use infrastructure | Permanent, growing presence |
**The breakthrough isn't landing on the Moon. It's using the Moon.**
If lunar ISRU (In-Situ Resource Utilization) works:
- Rocket fuel from water ice
- Oxygen from regolith (everywhere)
- Construction materials from local sources
- Energy from constant solar
This reduces Earth-dependency by 80%+ and transforms space economics.
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PART FIVE: RISKS AND REALITIES
What Could Go Wrong
Technical
Programmatic
Geopolitical
Economic
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What's Actually Likely
**By 2030:**
- Multiple commercial landers operating routinely
- Artemis astronauts on the surface (eventually)
- Chinese astronauts on the surface
- Gateway operational
- ISRU demonstrations completed
- Resource extraction pilot programs
**By 2040:**
- Permanent bases (US and/or China)
- Commercial lunar operations
- Regular crew rotations
- Beginning of lunar economy
**By 2050:**
- Industrial-scale mining (if ISRU proves viable)
- Multiple operational bases
- Lunar tourism (for the wealthy)
- Moon as stepping stone to Mars
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CONCLUSIONS
Key Takeaways
1. **The competition is real.** The US and China are both committed to permanent lunar presence. The race to land astronauts—and establish resource claims—is not rhetorical.
2. **Private sector is essential.** NASA can't do this alone. SpaceX, Blue Origin, and commercial landers are not contractors—they're critical infrastructure.
3. **Most of the world isn't participating.** This is a competition among wealthy, technologically advanced nations. The Moon won't be democratically governed.
4. **Timelines are optimistic.** Every date in this document should be mentally pushed back 1-2 years. Space is hard.
5. **Resources are the point.** Water ice, oxygen, Helium-3, construction materials—the Moon is valuable because of what's on it, not just what it represents.
6. **The winner takes the economics.** Whoever establishes robust ISRU first—water processing, oxygen extraction, refueling capability—gains structural advantage in all future space activity.
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Recommendations
**For Policymakers:**
- Ensure consistent funding beyond political cycles
- Develop international resource rights framework before disputes arise
- Invest in ISRU technology as strategic priority
**For Investors:**
- Watch CLPS companies for commercial lunar logistics opportunities
- Monitor ISRU technology development
- Track SpaceX/Blue Origin execution vs. timelines
**For Everyone Else:**
- Pay attention. The next decade will determine who controls space economics.
- Understand the resource angle—it's not about flags and footprints.
- Recognize that lunar success (or failure) affects terrestrial energy, supply chains, and geopolitics.
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Timeline Summary: 2026-2030
| Year | US/Commercial | China | Other |
|------|---------------|-------|-------|
| **2026** | Artemis II (crewed flyby); Blue Origin Pathfinder; Multiple CLPS | Chang'e 7 (South Pole) | |
| **2027** | Artemis III (crewed landing*); Gateway launch | | India Chandrayaan-4 |
| **2028** | Artemis IV (Gateway docking) | Chang'e 8 (ISRU demo) | LUPEX (Japan/India) |
| **2029** | Interlune He-3 delivery | Crewed landing prep | |
| **2030** | Artemis V (Blue Origin landing) | **Crewed landing** | ILRS planning |
*May slip to 2028
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**The Moon has been waiting for 4.5 billion years.**
**The next decade will determine who gets there first—and who benefits most.**
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*White Paper prepared January 2026. All dates subject to revision. Space is hard. But the economics are compelling enough that humanity keeps trying.*
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APPENDIX A: Entity Reference
Private Companies
| Company | Headquarters | Primary Vehicle | NASA Relationship | Status |
|---------|--------------|-----------------|-------------------|--------|
| SpaceX | Hawthorne, CA | Starship HLS | $2.9B HLS contract | Delayed |
| Blue Origin | Kent, WA | Blue Moon | $3.4B HLS contract | On track |
| Astrobotic | Pittsburgh, PA | Griffin | CLPS provider | Delayed |
| Firefly | Cedar Park, TX | Blue Ghost | CLPS provider | **Success** |
| Intuitive Machines | Houston, TX | Nova-C | CLPS provider | Partial |
| ispace | Tokyo, Japan | Hakuto-R | CLPS partner | Struggling |
| Draper | Cambridge, MA | — | CLPS provider | Pending |
| Interlune | Seattle, WA | — | None | He-3 focus |
National Space Agencies
| Agency | Country | Lunar Program | Status |
|--------|---------|---------------|--------|
| NASA | USA | Artemis | Active |
| CNSA | China | Chang'e/ILRS | Active |
| ISRO | India | Chandrayaan | Active |
| Roscosmos | Russia | Luna | Struggling |
| JAXA | Japan | LUPEX/SLIM | Active |
| KASA | South Korea | KPLO/Lander | Developing |
| MBRSC | UAE | Rashid | Partner |
| SpaceIL | Israel | Beresheet | Developing |
| ASA | Australia | Rover | Partner |
| ESA | Europe | Gateway/Payloads | Contributor |
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APPENDIX B: Artemis Accords Signatories (59 nations)
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Angola, Romania, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, UK, Ukraine, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, and others.
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APPENDIX C: ILRS Participants
**Nations:** China, Russia, Pakistan, Venezuela, Belarus, South Africa, Egypt, Thailand, Serbia, Kazakhstan, Senegal, Turkey (17+ total)
**Organizations:** 40+ including:
- International Lunar Observatory Association (Hawaii)
- Nano-SPACE (Switzerland)
- Thales (France)
- Various universities and research institutions
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*End of White Paper*