NASA has said it envisions a permanent lunar base spanning “hundreds of square miles” in size.
The space agency described Moon Base as an “initiative designed to enable sustained human presence and expanded scientific and commercial activity at the lunar South Pole”.
During a briefing at its headquarters in Washington, NASA announced a partnership with Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’ space technology company, which will provide parts of the hardware for the project.
The briefing comes after NASA’s historic Artemis II moon mission last month, which saw four astronauts complete a 10-day crewed lunar flyby – marking the first time humans travelled to the moon since 1972.
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The Moon Base project was announced during NASA’s so-called Ignition event on March 24, where the agency unveiled a series of initiatives designed to achieve US President Donald Trump’s National Space Policy and advance American leadership in space.
During the event, NASA introduced a phased approach to establishing a lunar base and enabling a sustained human presence on the moon.
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NASA administrator Jared Isaacman says the main goal of building a lunar base is to ultimately reach Mars.
He says the project will also deliver benefits for life on Earth.
“Really, it is to have an environment where we can work with the water, ice and master the skills for where we go next, which is Mars,” Isaacman says.
“And it would be nice to do that when you’re four days away from home… then many months away from home.”
Isaacman believes the base will also inspire the next generation to “plant the stars and stripes on Mars someday”.
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Carlos Garcia-Galan, programme executive for Moon Base, says NASA envisions that the base will be “hundreds of square miles”.
Artist’s rendering of a MoonFall drone operating near the south pole(Image: NASA)
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Carlos García-Galán, programme executive for Moon Base, has announced that the project will rely on Blue Origin to deliver parts of its hardware.
The space technology company is owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and rivals Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Blue Origin was selected to produce so-called LTV delivery landers, García-Galán says.
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NASA administrator Jared Isaacman has been outlining the three phases to the agency’s Moon Base plans and said a website for the initiative was launched two hours ago.
The three phases are summarised as follows on the newly launched website:
Phase One (Now – 2029): Experiment and Learn
NASA will begin with a rapid series of robotic missions to scout the lunar South Pole region, test technologies, and prepare for surface operations ahead of future astronaut missions.
Phase Two (2029 – 2032): Early Habitation
By 2029, NASA will transition to assembling semi-permanent infrastructure and initiating early habitation and logistics operations.
Phase Three (2032 and beyond): Sustained Human Presence
This phase will scale operations to achieve a true enduring presence, with routine crew rotations and continuous surface activity. This is when living and working on the moon becomes a reality.
Eliana NunesToday19:14 BST
NASA administrator Jared Isaacman is speaking about the agency’s plans for a moon base.
“America is returning to the Moon,” he says, acknowledging that a base on the moon is as “beautiful as it is hostile”.
“In sunlight, the surface can heat to over 250C. In darkness, it can drop well below -200C,” Isaacman says. “In the permanently shaded craters, [there are] areas of great interest that have been untouched by sunlight for millions, even billions of years.” In those areas, temperatures can fall well below -400C.
He adds: “There is no atmosphere to moderate these extremes, no protection from radiation and solar particle events, and the surface is exposed to meteorite impacts, including the kind of light flashes the Artemis II crew observed from orbit.”
Artist’s rendering of Moon Base(Image: NASA)
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NASA’s briefing on its plans for a moon base is under way.
It is being streamed live on NASA+ and the agency’s YouTube channel.
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NASA will soon provide an update on its plans for a moon base. The space agency said the following people will take part in the briefing:
- NASA administrator Jared Isaacman
- Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate
- Carlos García-Galán, programme executive for Moon Base
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In a press release about the briefing, the space agency said: “NASA is advancing development of Moon Base, a long-term lunar exploration and infrastructure initiative designed to enable sustained human presence and expanded scientific and commercial activity at the lunar South Pole.
“As part of the Golden Age of innovation and exploration, NASA will send astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.”
Eliana Nunes
Today18:54 BST
NASA will host a news briefing at 2pm EDT (7pm BST) today to share its plans about ‘Moon Base’ and highlight progress toward a sustained presence on the lunar surface.
The briefing will take place at the space agency’s headquarters in Washington.