Washington DC - NASA on Tuesday announced new uncrewed missions to support the creation of a lunar surface base, a project beginning to take shape despite recent setbacks.

Three companies were awarded contracts for missions to deliver cargo, including scientific instruments to the Moon, said NASA, which will pay nearly $600 million for the projects that supplement others announced in May.

The efforts are part of plans to use robotic vehicles to build infrastructure that future human explorers to the Moon could eventually use.

The announcement comes as the space agency's lunar ambitions have faced setbacks following the spectacular explosion this spring of the New Glenn rocket, built by tech billionaire Jeff Bezos' company, Blue Origin.

Senior agency officials have acknowledged that the situation would likely cause lunar program delays, but voiced optimism Tuesday, also indicating there were alternatives to launch a lander carrying equipment developed by Blue Origin.

"We're working with Blue Origin very closely to understand their timelines to recovery and also looking at other options in case it doesn't meet our timeline," said Carlos Garcia-Galan, NASA program manager for the Moon base, during an event with journalists Tuesday.

After spending years creating a lunar orbital space station known as Gateway, NASA overhauled its plans in March, saying it would be focused now on creating a base for surface operations. They pledged $20 billion to the Moon base efforts.

The base is planned for a site near the lunar south pole, a strategic area due to the presence of water ice in the soil. NASA had previously said construction could begin in 2029.

Conceived to compete with China – which also aims to send humans to the Moon and establish a base there – NASA's ambitious plan remains vague in several aspects.

But the space agency has started to roll out its vision, which includes lunar landers, lunar rovers, and drones designed to survey the terrain and subsequently build up infrastructure, including a power grid and pressurized habitats.

The agency on Tuesday floated the possibility of repurposing a Mars rover as part of the efforts they're aiming to complete in a tight timeframe.