NASA awarded contracts to space firms, including Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and Astrolab, to ​send robotic landers, rovers and drones to ‌support the upcoming lunar exploration missions.

The US space agency said on Tuesday it had awarded Astrolab $219 million ​and Lunar Outpost $220 million to build and ​deliver lunar terrain vehicles.

Blue Origin was awarded ⁠a $188 million contract to deliver the rovers ​to the moon’s surface using its uncrewed cargo ​lunar lander, Mark 1.

The contracts are part of NASA’s broader Artemis program, which aims to expand humanity’s footprint ​in space and support future deep-space exploration.

The ​agency said it also selected Firefly Aerospace to build the spacecraft ‌that ⁠will transport drones from Earth’s orbit to the moon for its MoonFall mission, which is targeted for launch in 2028.

NASA’s revised plan for ​Artemis, which ​was created ⁠during President Donald Trump’s first term, involves putting infrastructure, centred on a ​moon base, and vehicles on the ​moon’s ⁠surface.

NASA’s second Artemis mission launched in April, sending four astronauts around the moon and back as ⁠one ​of a few precursor missions ​to the first crewed moon landing since 1972.