NASA unveils ambitious new moon base plans

NASA unveils ambitious new moon base plans

By Dan Vergano edited by Clara Moskowitz

WASHINGTON, D.C.—NASA has set its sights on establishing a lunar base within the next ten years, as announced by the agency’s head, Jared Isaacman. The plan, revealed on Tuesday, involves a $30-billion investment to secure a continuous human presence on the moon’s south pole by 2036. This announcement from NASA headquarters outlined the need for numerous lunar launches over the coming decade and signaled the termination of plans for an orbiting lunar “Gateway” space station.

According to Isaacman, the objective is more than just symbolic; it’s about establishing permanence on the moon. NASA plans to channel its human exploration efforts into developing this lunar base, using a phased approach similar to the Apollo program, involving comprehensive test missions before human deployment. The agency will shift its focus away from the International Space Station, instead endorsing the development of a commercial station by private firms that will later detach from the orbiting laboratory.

The long-term vision is to land crews on the moon every six months to investigate the south pole, believed to contain ice and other valuable resources in its perpetually shadowed craters. “America will never again give up the moon,” Isaacman stated.

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NASA is preparing to launch its next moon mission, Artemis II, on April 1, which will send four astronauts on a journey around the moon as a test of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion capsule. The agency recently revised its plans for future lunar missions: in 2027, the Artemis III mission will test the docking capabilities of Orion with two lunar landers under development by SpaceX and Blue Origin. By 2028, if everything proceeds as planned, Artemis IV will see humans return to the moon for the first time in over 50 years.

The new strategy aims to speed up and broaden the Artemis program, involving numerous launches of rovers, drones, and modules for power, communication, and habitation. This endeavor, described by NASA Moon Base official Carlos Garcia-Galan, involves three stages aimed at building a lunar outpost. The moon base will require radioactive isotope power sources and eventually a nuclear reactor to endure the prolonged periods of darkness at the lunar south pole, which render solar power insufficient.

One significant aspect of NASA’s plan is its acceptance of nuclear power for both the lunar base and potential future Mars missions, as noted by Casey Dreier of the Planetary Society. He suggests that nuclear electric propulsion could significantly enhance energy use for various science missions and crewed exploration across the solar system.

A major challenge of this “very ambitious plan” is the frequency of lunar landings, Garcia-Galan told Scientific American. The initial phase requires 24 lunar launches, including the Artemis IV mission, by 2028. Meeting these milestones will assure taxpayers of the agency’s progress, he indicated.

Rocket availability may pose challenges. While the next four Artemis missions will rely on NASA’s SLS rocket for lunar travel, the vehicle for subsequent missions remains uncertain, according to Lori Glaze, acting head of NASA’s human exploration directorate. SpaceX’s Starship is a possible candidate, with another variant of Starship also vying to serve as a lunar lander. The company aims to reduce the number of on-orbit refueling missions, currently estimated at about 12, for a test moon landing before crewed missions. “We made it quite clear we are going to land by 2028,” Glaze remarked.

China has its own plans to land astronauts on the moon by 2030. Isaacman speculated that China might even surpass its timeline, suggesting that NASA’s return to the moon could be separated by mere “months, not years.”

Editor’s Note (3/24/26): This story is in development and may be updated.

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