NASA moon – Less than two months after Artemis II’s lunar flyaround, NASA has begun locking in hardware for a moon base—awarding hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts for landers, buggies, and drones intended to arrive before the first astronauts set foot on the Mo
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s plans for a sustained presence on the Moon are moving from blueprints toward delivery schedules fast enough to make the calendar feel like part of the mission.
On Tuesday. the space agency outlined the first phase of its moon base efforts. awarding contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars to four U.S. companies. The goal is straightforward in ambition and tight in timing: get key surface systems in place before Artemis astronauts land. planned for as early as 2028.
Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin will provide a pair of landers tasked with delivering moon buggies to the lunar surface near the moon’s south pole. The buggies themselves are being built by Astrolab and Lunar Outpost. Firefly Aerospace, which landed successfully on the Moon last year, will deliver the first drones.
NASA is also positioning other astronaut missions to align with the evolving hardware. During April’s Artemis II mission. four astronauts flew around the Moon. traveling deeper into space than Apollo crews did during the late 1960s and early 1970s. For next year’s Artemis III. another crew will practice docking NASA’s Orion capsule in Earth orbit alongside the lunar landers being developed for crews by Blue Origin and Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Artemis III is targeted for mid-2027, with a landing by two astronauts following as soon as 2028. After that first touchdown. NASA’s second phase—planned from 2029 into the early 2030s—shifts from arrival to buildout. starting with permanent infrastructure. including a power grid. Support for extended stays in specialized permanent habitats is expected in the 2030s, during a third phase.
Carlos Garcia-Galan. NASA’s moon base program executive. described what the end state is meant to feel like: “Then we’ll be able to say. ‘Hey. we’re permanently here and we’re not giving it up.’” In his view. the base won’t be a single installation. He envisions it sprawling over hundreds of square miles. with a perimeter marked by drones dubbed MoonFall stationed at the corners.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said those territory markers are designed with international realities in mind. He said the markers are meant to be respectful of other countries’ spacecraft and equipment that might be nearby. and he expects reciprocity. “For those waiting patiently, the grand return is close at hand and we will not slow down,” Isaacman added. “We are really just getting started.”.
The motivation driving the contracts, the landers, and the drones is not only a bigger footprint. NASA has framed the moon base as a way to encourage a lunar economy while conducting scientific research and laying groundwork for a Mars expedition.
NASA moon base Artemis II Artemis III lunar landers moon buggies drones Blue Origin Astrolab Lunar Outpost Firefly Aerospace MoonFall Carlos Garcia-Galan Jared Isaacman Moon south pole power grid Mars expedition
So we’re building a Moon base in like 2 months? Sure.
I don’t get it, they said Artemis II already happened (kind of) so how are they already paying hundreds of millions for landers and drones?? Seems rushed. Also why south pole? Isn’t that where everything’s colder and harder to film for views.
It’s wild they’re timing it so astronauts land in 2028 but the contracts are going out now. Like… does that mean they already know it’ll work? Last time NASA promised stuff it took forever. And Bezos landing thing? I thought Blue Origin was more rockets not moon vehicles. Maybe I’m mixing it up with Starliner.
“Buggies and drones” on the Moon sounds cool but I can’t believe they’re calling it a base like it’s gonna be comfortable. Who’s doing the maintenance when the dust gets into everything? Also Elon Musk’s landers already?? I saw a headline earlier that said something totally different about when Artemis 3 would happen, so now I’m just confused. Feels like they keep moving the dates and calling it progress.