NASA issues new call for lunar payload deliveries from its commercial moon lander partners Firefly’s Blue Ghost aims to fly in just a couple years’ time, and it’s tasked with carrying 10 payloads on behalf of NASA as part of their Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. NASA is using that program to award private companies missions to carry experiments to the moon’s surface, in part as preparation for the forthcoming Artemis human moon exploration (and, eventually, long-term habitation) missions. SpaceX got the nod in part because the Falcon 9’s performance specs mean the Blue Ghost can conserve more of its own fuel, making it possible for the lander to take on around 150 kg (330 lbs) of cargo. Firefly, like many other CLPS providers, also intends to take up payloads alongside the NASA experiments from other commercial entities, selling off that space to make more revenue. The first lander launching under CLPS is scheduled to fly sometime in the fourth quarter of this year, and a total of six are currently awarded and planned for tentative launches through 2023. Techcrunch event