NASA cancels $73 million moon lander mission with contractor Draper

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA has canceled a $73 million commercial lunar lander mission after years of delays and cost overruns, ending the project before the spacecraft ever launched.

The agency and contractor Draper mutually agreed to terminate the Commercial Lunar Payload Services Task Order CP-12, a mission that began in 2022 and was intended to deliver scientific payloads to a crater near the moon's south pole. 

‘Funds are considered legally committed’

What they're saying:

NASA said the project had slipped to a projected launch in 2030 or 2031, making it incompatible with the agency's accelerated lunar exploration goals.

NASA has already paid about $43 million under the contract and said those funds cannot be recovered because they were legally obligated under the agreement.

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"Once NASA fully allocates and obligates funds for a contract period, those funds are considered legally committed," the agency said, adding that it cannot simply reclaim the money.

NASA said it plans to reuse payloads developed for the canceled mission on future lunar flights whenever possible.

Florida Tech space professor Don Platt said closer oversight of commercial partners could help prevent similar setbacks.

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"NASA has the ability to be more tightly involved with these projects, and making sure from the beginning that solid engineering choices are being made, and that real progress is happening," Platt said.

The canceled mission was part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, which relies on private companies to deliver science and technology to the moon in support of the Artemis program. NASA said it ended the project to keep its broader lunar exploration efforts on schedule.