NASA acting administrator Sean Duffy suggested SpaceX may not be taking NASA to the moon. Experts said it’s unlikely another company could step in and hit the 2027 goal.

NASA said on Monday it was opening the marquee U.S. moon landing contract to other bidders because Elon Musk's SpaceX has experienced mounting delays with its Starship lunar lander. The move paves the way for rivals such as Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin to snatch a high-profile mission to land the first astronauts on the moon in half a century.

NASA's Acting Administrator said that the space agency may seek another option for the Artemis III moon landing.

In April 2021, NASA awarded Elon Musk's company a $2.9 billion contract to provide the first crewed lunar lander for the agency's Artemis program. That vehicle, a modified upper stage of SpaceX's Starship megarocket, is supposed to land astronauts on the moon for the first time on the upcoming Artemis 3 mission.

SpaceX's upper-stage spacecraft made a soft, controlled landing on water at the end of its 11th test flight on Monday.The Latest Tech News, Delivered to Your Inbox

Elon Musk’s SpaceX launched its 11th Starship rocket from Texas on Monday and landed it in the Indian Ocean, the last flight before the company begins test-launching a new version of the giant rocket outfitted with more features for moon and Mars missions.

Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy announced Monday that he would allow other companies to compete for the Artemis III landing contract that was awarded to the SpaceX Starship spacecraft.

NASA's acting chief said earlier this week that he intends to reopen the contract for the Artemis III lander that will return humans to the lunar surface.