NASA is considering changing its original plan to have Boeing’s Space Launch System (SLS) propel astronauts into lunar orbit and is instead considering choosing Elon Musk's SpaceX to take on the venture.

Boeing's SLS rocket was supposed to use a Lockheed Martin Corp-built Orion crew capsule to send astronauts to the moon's orbit before meeting a Starship lander near lunar orbit. SpaceX's Starship is now being considered for the role, minimizing Boeing's part in the plans, Bloomberg reported.

Officials from NASA are meeting with Blue Origin LLC, Boeing, and SpaceX on March 24 to discuss the potential changes to the plan, which are still subject to change.

If these new plans go through, the SLS rocket will still be utilized to launch Orion into Earth's orbit, sources told Bloomberg. This potential change comes amid ongoing delays and the rising costs tied to SLS and Orion, with the average launch totaling around $4 billion, CBS News reports.

Last year, SpaceX revealed that it was targeting cargo missions to the Moon and Mars by 2028 and 2030, respectively.

Musk also recently reaffirmed his goal of building factories on the moon, sharing that Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) will have factories on the moon in 20 years and urging investors to hold on to TSLA stock.

SpaceX recently acquired Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI, with the combined SpaceX-xAI entity valued at $1.25 trillion amid a planned IPO in June this year.

Last month, SpaceX was invited by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to discuss the company's orbital datacenter goals, which involve operating a fleet of over 1 million satellites. SpaceX is also seeking several waivers from the FCC.

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