NASA Is Shopping for Rockets in Bulk to Build a $30 Billion Moon Base as the Falcon 9 Era Winds Down

NASA is serious about getting mankind back on the moon, and they aren't playing around.

Image via Wikimedia Commons (NASA)

NASA's Bulk Rocket Shopping Spree

NASA is getting ready to buy rockets the way warehouses buy paper towels: in bulk. According to Bloomberg, the space agency is close to announcing a big batch purchase of rocket launches to power its roughly $30 billion push to build a permanent moon base where humans can live and work. Carlos García-Galán, who runs NASA's moon base program, said the agency is looking at bulk buys of launchers that could cover all of the base's needs — and that the first round could be announced in the near future. The idea is to order four or five different rocket types at once, pair each one with a commercial lunar lander, and let any leftover capacity go to other government agencies.

Why SpaceX's Falcon 9 Is Stepping Back

The timing isn't a coincidence. SpaceX plans to stop taking new dedicated Falcon 9 bookings after 2028, meaning the workhorse rocket that has dominated launches for years is being eased out of new long-range business. That opens the door for a new generation of rockets: Rocket Lab's Neutron, Blue Origin's New Glenn, United Launch Alliance's Vulcan, plus contenders like Relativity Space, Firefly Aerospace, and Stoke Space. 

Investors noticed — Rocket Lab's stock jumped about 4% on the news. (Note: The author does hold shares in Rocket Lab stock at the time of publication.)

With the whole industry facing a shortage of rockets while demand keeps booming, NASA wants to lock in its rides before the bottleneck hits its own schedule.

The Moon Base Timeline

Here's how the plan unfolds. Through 2028, NASA will send landers and rovers to scout landing spots and hunt for resources. Then the heavy lifting starts: in 2029, the agency expects to begin hauling as much as 60 metric tons of equipment to the lunar surface — power systems, habitats, and other infrastructure for a real outpost. The announcement landed right during World Space Week (October 4, celebrated in more than 100 countries), this year's theme fittingly called the "Rocket Revolution." This October 2026 space news story is one giant leap for bulk buying.