Duffy went further than simply saying he wants the United States to beat China to the moon, however. The acting NASA chief said that he wants the U.S. to claim the "best" part of the moon for itself.

The group also partnered with defense giant Lockheed Martin to win a NASA contract worth $5 million in 2022 to designed the first iterations of the lunar power systems. Westinghouse and Aerojet Rocketdyne, as well as a joint venture that included Boeing, were also selected.