NASA Details Its Plan for Permanent Moon Base

NASA doesn't just want to go back to the moon—it wants to move in, ABC News reports. The agency on Tuesday sketched out how it plans to turn brief Apollo-style visits into the beginnings of a permanent outpost, with crewed landings targeted for 2028 and a three-phase "Moon Base" effort running through at least 2032. Administrator Jared Isaacman called the push "extremely challenging," noting that humans have logged only about 80 hours of moonwalks, all more than 50 years ago. Surface temperatures can swing from above 250 degrees Fahrenheit in sunlight to below -250 in darkness, and there's no atmosphere to blunt radiation, meteorites, or weather.

NASA's three-step plan starts with what officials describe as a proof-of-concept era. Phase 1, already underway and scheduled through 2029, is meant to show that the technology works and that commercial partners can reliably deliver cargo and hardware. NASA expects roughly 25 launches and 21 landings in this stage, sending about 4 metric tons of equipment to the lunar surface while it tests "the science of survival" needed for later infrastructure and, eventually, long-term habitation. Phase 2 will involve assembling semi-permanent habitation facilities on the lunar surface, NBC News reports. Phase 3, starting in 2032, aims to see sustained human presence on the moon. Ultimately, one goal is to build a foundation for a future expedition to Mars, CBS News reports.

Private companies are central to almost every piece. Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 1 lander is slated to carry scientific gear to the lunar South Pole as early as fall 2026. Astrobotic is building another lander to haul more than 1,100 pounds of cargo, while a third 2026 mission will fly instruments chosen under NASA's lunar research initiative, along with payloads from Europe and South Korea. Astrolab and Lunar Outpost won $439 million to develop lunar terrain vehicles that can carry two astronauts at up to 9mph or drive themselves; Blue Origin will deliver the rovers under a contract worth up to $280 million. A separate "Moonfall" mission, contracted to Firefly Aerospace for launch around 2028, will send four drones to scout resources, landing zones, and the outline of a future base site.