Commercial Lunar Payload Services

Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) is a <a href="/facts/NASA/TIMCV0yV">NASA</a> program to hire companies to send small robotic landers and rovers to the <a href="/facts/Moon/zKHqEMPb">Moon</a>. Most landing sites are near the <a href="/facts/Lunar_south_pole/MCnRywgR">lunar south pole</a> where they will scout for <a href="/facts/Lunar_resources/4XFLDgW6">lunar resources</a>, test <a href="/facts/In_situ_resource_utilization/nfgDk04a">in situ resource utilization</a> (ISRU) concepts, and perform lunar science to support the <a href="/facts/Artemis_program/QHBrKFI8">Artemis lunar program</a>. CLPS is intended to buy end-to-end payload services between Earth and the lunar surface using <a href="/facts/Fixed-price_contract/xIFkLVIg">fixed-price contracts</a>. The program achieved the first landing on the Moon by a commercial company in history with the <a href="/facts/IM-1/cyztfY5a">IM-1</a> mission in 2024. The program was extended to add support for large payloads starting after 2025.
The CLPS program is run by NASA's <a href="/facts/Science_Mission_Directorate/uNhAcYLb">Science Mission Directorate</a> along with the Human Exploration and Operations and Space Technology Mission directorates. NASA expects the contractors to provide all activities necessary to safely integrate, accommodate, transport, and operate NASA payloads, including launch vehicles, lunar lander spacecraft, lunar surface systems, Earth re-entry vehicles and associated resources. 
Eight missions have been contracted under the program (not counting one mission contract that was revoked after awarding and another mission contract that was cancelled after the contracted company went bankrupt).

Commercial Lunar Payload Services open-in-new

Commercial Lunar Payload Services