NASA’s Tom Percy Accelerates Artemis Human Landing System Development Through Collaboration with SpaceX and Blue Origin

August 17, 2026

NASA USA

Overview

Tom Percy, NASA’s System Engineering and Integration Manager for the Human Landing System (HLS) Program, is closely collaborating with commercial providers SpaceX and Blue Origin to accelerate and streamline the development of crewed lunar landers for Artemis missions. His critical role ensures that these privately developed landers safely and effectively integrate with NASA’s other exploration assets, guaranteeing overall mission success. This collaborative effort is key to achieving human lunar landings and efficiently resolving technical challenges.

In Depth

Key Findings

Tom Percy, the System Engineering and Integration Manager for NASA’s Human Landing System (HLS) Program, is spearheading collaboration with two major commercial providers, SpaceX and Blue Origin, to significantly accelerate and streamline the design, manufacturing, testing, and certification processes for crewed lunar landers destined for the Artemis missions. Percy’s role is pivotal in ensuring that these privately developed landers seamlessly and safely integrate and function with NASA’s existing exploration assets, such as the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft. This collaborative framework is dramatically enhancing the feasibility of complex lunar missions.

Technical / Clinical Details

Tom Percy’s team oversees the development of two primary commercial landers with distinct design philosophies: SpaceX’s Starship HLS and Blue Origin’s Blue Moon HLS. His responsibilities encompass several technical and integration aspects, including:

Ensuring Interface Compatibility: Guaranteeing the standardization and compatibility of physical, electrical, and data communication interfaces between each commercial lander, the Orion spacecraft, the Gateway space station, and lunar surface infrastructure.
Safety Assessment and Certification: Detailed evaluation of both companies’ designs and test plans to meet stringent spaceflight safety requirements, guiding and approving necessary certification processes. This includes phases such as in-orbit refueling, lunar descent, surface operations, and return to Earth.
Schedule and Cost Management: Formulating strategies to maintain development schedules and operate efficiently within budget, optimizing collaboration with commercial partners.
Risk Mitigation Strategies: Identifying risks in commercial partners’ proposed technical solutions and integrating their mitigation measures into NASA’s overall mission risk management strategy.

These activities enable the safe and rapid introduction of innovative technologies necessary for next-generation lunar exploration.

Background & Context

In the Artemis program, NASA has positioned commercial partnerships as a critical strategy to complement or even replace traditional government-led development. This approach aims to improve cost-efficiency, shorten development timelines, and leverage the private sector’s rapid innovation capabilities. Key personnel like Tom Percy within the HLS program are central to this new commercial model, serving as complex liaisons between government and private entities. SpaceX and Blue Origin, each possessing robust space development capabilities, are driving the overall advancement of crewed lunar landing systems through both competition and cooperation. This commercial partnership approach is regarded as one of the most significant advancements in lunar exploration since the Apollo program, accelerating a paradigm shift in business models across the space industry.

Strategic Significance & Outlook

The work of Tom Percy and his team directly impacts the success of the Artemis program, particularly the crewed lunar landings planned for Artemis III in 2027 and Artemis IV in 2028. If commercial HLS can provide safe and reliable lunar landing capabilities, NASA will be able to send astronauts to the Moon more frequently for a wider variety of scientific missions. This will accelerate the establishment of a sustained human presence at the lunar South Pole, the utilization of lunar resources, and preparations for eventual Mars missions. Percy’s integrated approach sets an important precedent for future deep-space exploration missions in establishing models for collaboration with commercial providers. If development progresses successfully, the Moon has the potential to evolve from merely a site of exploration into a new economic zone for diverse commercial activities.

Source: https://www.nasa.gov/missions/artemis/i-am-artemis/i-am-artemis-tom-percy/

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