Illustration: the night side of North America seen from orbit, city lights under a thin blue atmosphere.

Mars is the finish line.

NASA artist's concept of the Moon Base near the lunar South Pole. White habitat modules, small rovers and tall towers stand on a bright crater floor, ringed by dark shadowed ridges, under a black sky with a thin crescent and the Sun low on the horizon. An illustration, not a photograph.

FEATURE

NASA Picks Eight Companies to Carry Cargo to Its Moon Base

For the next ten years, eight American companies can bid to fly NASA's cargo to the Moon, under a contract that can grow to $10 billion. Who made the list, what that number really means, and what has to fly before any of it counts.

THE MORNING DEW

Next milestone: Artemis III (Orion + lander docking test) (Mid 2027).

Every weekday at 9:50 AM ET: the day's most important thing, every covered company's last close, the launches in the next 24 hours and the newest signals, each with its source. A Friday recap of the week. Nothing else, ever.

TONIGHT

The Moon, the best satellite pass and any launch in sight of you tonight, once your place is read.

The Earth setting behind the Moon's far side, photographed by the Artemis II crew from Orion on April 6, 2026.

Moon Tracker

Artemis II crew, Apr 6, 2026 · NASA

Artemis II (crewed lunar flyby)Apr 2026

Artemis III (Orion + lander docking test)Mid 2027

Artemis IV (crew on the Moon)2028

Sustained lunar presence2029+

NEXT LAUNCHES

Launches today →

Kuaizhou 11 | Unknown Payload

ExPace · Go

Nov 12

Vulcan VC6L | Amazon Leo (LV-01)

United Launch Alliance · Go

Watch on YouTube (United Launch Alliance)

Nov 13

Starship | Starlink Group 31-2 (Starship Flight 15)

SpaceX · TBC

Nov 13

Electron | The Mountain God Rises (iQPS Launch 10)

Rocket Lab · Go

Nov 14

Falcon 9 Block 5 | USSF-317

SpaceX · Go

Nov 14

Source: Launch Library 2 (The Space Devs) · updated Nov 12 · every launch

More todayWatchlist, the week, catalysts, posts

EDITORIAL WATCHLIST

RKLBNeutron hype + ARK accumulation

▲ +5.5%as of Nov 11

LUNRArtemis momentum

▲ +3.1%as of Nov 11

OKLONuclear policy tailwind

▲ +3.1%as of Nov 11

All 50 companies

Free, and not financial advice. Always do your own research.

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