An artist’s concept of Phase 3 of NASA’s moon base project, planned to take place from 2033 to 2036. [Credit: NASA]
Key Takeaways:
NASA is shifting its lunar strategy, pausing development of the Lunar Gateway space station to instead focus on building a permanent human base directly on the Moon's surface.
This multi-billion dollar project ($20-30 billion over 7-10 years) aims for semi-annual crewed missions by 2028 and a sustained human presence on the Moon by 2032.
The plan is divided into three phases: establishing reliable lunar access and site reconnaissance (through 2028), building core infrastructure and enabling longer stays (2029-2032), and transitioning to permanent habitats with resource extraction capabilities (2033-2036).
To support this, NASA is drastically expanding and modifying its Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) and Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) programs, demanding strict accountability from contractors.
Over the next decade, NASA plans to spend tens of billions of dollars on what one official called “humanity’s first deep-space outpost.”
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman kicked off the space agency’s “Ignition” event Tuesday with the revelation that it will pause work on the Lunar Gateway space station, a sizable portion of which has already been built by contractors.
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Jack is a staff writer covering advanced air mobility, including everything from drones to unmanned aircraft systems to space travel—and a whole lot more. He spent close to two years reporting on drone delivery for FreightWaves, covering the biggest news and developments in the space and connecting with industry executives and experts. Jack is also a basketball aficionado, a frequent traveler and a lover of all things logistics.
