NASA moves ahead with lunar base hardware phase one

NASA phase – NASA has outlined phase one of its moon base plan, awarding hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts to four U.S. companies less than two months after Artemis II’s record lunar flyaround. The first phase prioritizes landers, rovers, and drones—with hardwar

For NASA, the timeline is tightening and the shopping list is getting real. Less than two months after Artemis II pulled off a record-breaking lunar flyaround. the space agency moved into phase one of its expansive moon base plans on Tuesday—putting hundreds of millions of dollars behind hardware that is supposed to reach the lunar surface before the first Artemis astronauts land.

NASA is already ordering landers, rovers and drones for a sprawling moon base, and the first step is aimed squarely at delivery. Contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars were awarded to four U.S. companies.

Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’ company, will provide a pair of landers to deliver moon buggies to the lunar surface at a location near the moon’s south pole. Those lunar terrain vehicles are to be built by Astrolab and Lunar Outpost.

Firefly Aerospace—whose spacecraft landed successfully on the moon last year—will deliver the first drones.

All of this equipment is designed to arrive before the first Artemis astronauts land on the moon, a window NASA has placed as early as 2028.

The push is part of a broader sequence of crewed missions. During April’s Artemis II mission. four astronauts flew around the moon. traveling deeper into space than the Apollo moon crews did during the late 1960s and early 1970s. For next year’s Artemis III. another team of astronauts will practice docking NASA’s Orion capsule in orbit around Earth with the lunar landers being developed for crews by Blue Origin and Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

NASA is targeting Artemis III for mid-2027, with a landing by two astronauts following as soon as 2028.

Phase two of the moon base is scheduled to begin in 2029 and run into the early 2030s. when NASA says it will start building up the permanent infrastructure. including a power grid. The longer aim—specialized permanent habitats that could support astronauts for extended periods—is expected in the 2030s as the third phase.

The agency’s concept is also built around visibility and control, even from a distance. Carlos Garcia-Galan, NASA’s moon base program executive, said he envisions a moon base sprawling over hundreds of square miles, with a perimeter marked by drones dubbed MoonFall stationed at the corners.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the territory markers are meant to be respectful of other countries’ spacecraft and equipment that might be nearby, and he expects reciprocity in return.

At the heart of NASA’s plan is more than just planting flags on the lunar surface. Isaacman stressed the goal is to encourage a lunar economy while conducting scientific research and laying the foundation for a Mars expedition.

Garcia-Galan captured the emotional endgame in his own words: “Then we’ll be able to say, ‘Hey, we’re permanently here and we’re not giving it up,’” he said.

Isaacman framed the sprint to the first landing as a promise to those waiting on the sidelines. “For those waiting patiently, the grand return is close at hand and we will not slow down,” he said. “We are really just getting started.”

The contracts and the hardware targets make one thing clear: NASA’s moon base is no longer a distant sketch. It’s moving into build mode, with the first deliveries timed to meet the earliest Artemis landing date.

NASA Artemis moon base Blue Origin SpaceX Firefly Aerospace lunar terrain vehicles Astrolab Lunar Outpost MoonFall drones Artemis II Artemis III lunar south pole contracts 2028 landing