NASA Details Its Plan to Build a Lunar Base at the Moon’s South Pole
NASA has unveiled its plan to establish a lunar base at the Moon's south pole, with the first mission potentially launching this year. The project will unfold in three phases over the next decade, starting with robotic exploration and technology testing. The agency aims to create a sustainable human presence on the Moon, focusing on reducing costs and accelerating timelines.
- ▪NASA's lunar base project will replace the Gateway program, concentrating resources on the Moon's surface.
- ▪The first phase from 2026 to 2029 will involve at least 25 missions and 21 surface landings to test technologies for future manned missions.
- ▪Phase two, starting in 2029, will focus on assembling semipermanent infrastructure and initial occupancy operations.
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Jorge GarayScienceMay 27, 2026 5:00 AMNASA Details Its Plan to Build a Lunar Base at the Moon’s South PoleThe project’s first mission could arrive as soon as this year, with a little help from Blue Origin.NASA's concept for a lunar base that it plans to build over the next few years.Courtesy of NASACommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyNASA finally presented the details of its phased plan to create the first lunar base at the moon’s south pole. Although the construction of a space research center that will allow a sustained human presence will take at least a decade, the missions that will lay its technological and symbolic foundations will start in the next few years.
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