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NASA Moon Base

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1. What we know so far
2. On 30 September 2026, NASA selected three science investigations for the Moon Base program, among them GIMLI, which is to probe the Marius Hills Pit for a lava tube that could shelter astronauts, and DISCO, which is to measure ice in micro-cold traps.
3. On 1 July 2026, ABC News reported that NASA aimed to establish a permanent human presence on the Moon by 2032.
4. On 9 June 2026, NASA named the Artemis III crew and recast the mission as a rendezvous and docking test in low Earth orbit rather than a lunar landing.
5. As of June 2026, NASA planned the first crewed landing of the Artemis program for Artemis IV in 2028, after Artemis III tests the commercial landers in Earth orbit in 2027, NBC News reported.
6. On 26 May 2026, NASA unveiled three robotic precursor lander missions to deliver instruments and rovers to the lunar surface that year.
7. On 26 May 2026, NASA targeted Moon Base I for launch no earlier than fall 2026, while Wikipedia's article on its lander, Blue Moon Pathfinder Mission 1, gave no earlier than the first quarter of 2027.
8. On 15 May 2026, NASA requested proposals for the second round of Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS 2.0), with responses due 30 June 2026.
9. On 10 April 2026, the Artemis II crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after a roughly ten-day lunar flyby that did not enter lunar orbit.
10. On 24 March 2026, NASA's announcement described a $20 billion plan over seven years; Scientific American reported a $30 billion plan aiming for a permanent presence by 2036.
11. Key facts
12. Earlier concept: Artemis Base Camp
13. Planned location: Lunar south pole
14. Cost (Spaceflight Now, CBS News): About $20 billion over seven years
15. Cost (Scientific American): $30 billion
16. Permanent presence target (ABC News): 2032
17. Permanent presence target (Scientific American): 2036
18. Artemis III crew: Randy Bresnik, Luca Parmitano, Frank Rubio, Andre Douglas
19. Status: Planned; no hardware on the lunar surface yet
20. NASA Moon Base is the United States' planned lunar outpost near the Moon's south pole, developed under the Artemis program; earlier plans called it Artemis Base Camp.
21. Moon Base at the lunar south pole NASA's official trailer, May 2026: the south-polar terrain, the robotic missions that lead the way and the outpost they prepare (visualization and animation).
22. From Artemis Base Camp to Moon Base
23. Earlier Artemis planning called the surface outpost Artemis Base Camp. In March 2026, NASA revised that architecture: it paused development of Gateway, the planned station in lunar orbit, and redirected effort toward sustained operations on the surface, leaving an orbital outpost for future consideration. The revised plan relied on private lunar landers for crewed missions after the current SLS-based ones, SpacePolicyOnline reported. Speaking in May 2026, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the agency would take an iterative approach, through landers, rovers, technology demonstrations and scientific payloads, rather than immediately constructing a finished base.
24. Artemis II
25. Artemis II launched on 1 April 2026 and splashed down on 10 April 2026 after a nearly ten-day flyby of the Moon; it neither landed nor entered lunar orbit. The four astronauts returned to Houston and were reunited with their families on 11 April 2026. The Associated Press called the flight a record-setting lunar voyage, though one without a landing.
26. Artemis II lifts off NASA's recap of the Artemis II launch, 1 April 2026, from booster ignition.
27. Artemis III and the first landing
28. Until February 2026, Artemis III was the planned landing mission; that role has since moved to Artemis IV. NASA redesigned Artemis III as a demonstration in low Earth orbit, to test rendezvous and docking between Orion and pathfinder Human Landing System vehicles from Blue Origin and SpaceX. On 9 June 2026 it announced the crew: Randy Bresnik, Luca Parmitano, Frank Rubio and Andre Douglas. The mission was planned to last about two weeks, with three launches, two dockings and an Orion splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. NBC News reported that the landers under test are slated to carry astronauts to the lunar surface on Artemis IV in 2028.
29. The three phases
30. NASA's 2026 plan divided Moon Base development into three phases, the first focused on robotic missions and technology demonstrations. That phase was to run from 2026 through 2029, using near-term demonstrations, robotic missions and early experiments to test and mature technologies before human missions. Its work was meant to identify sites for infrastructure, improve mission capabilities and reduce risk before astronauts arrived. NASA planned 25 launches and 21 Moon landings during this first phase. The second phase, planned for 2029 through 2032, was to add infrastructure for long-term operations. It included a pressurized rover from JAXA, intended to support exploration missions of up to 28 days between cargo resupply periods of up to 14 days. The third phase, from 2032, was to assemble a permanent outpost near the Moon's south pole. ABC News reported that it would include habitation modules, a nuclear reactor and long-range rovers, and that NASA anticipated 29 rocket launches and 28 Moon landings during it. NASA expected to add further missions, assets and activities to all three phases as the program developed.
31. Robotic precursor missions
32. On 26 May 2026, NASA announced three uncrewed lunar lander missions to prepare for the base. It targeted Moon Base I for launch no earlier than fall 2026, though Wikipedia's article on its lander, Blue Moon Pathfinder Mission 1, gave no earlier than the first quarter of 2027. Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 1 Endurance mission was planned to land on the Shackleton Connecting Ridge with two NASA science payloads. NASA awarded Blue Origin $188 million for two lunar payload-delivery task orders, with an option period worth $280.4 million.
33. Blue Moon Mark 1 Endurance NASA's August 2026 Moon Base update: its chapter on Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 1 Endurance lander.
34. Moon Base II, planned to launch later in 2026, was to use Astrobotic's Griffin lander to deliver more than 1,100 pounds of cargo and Astrolab's FLIP rover. The Griffin-1 mission carried instruments to study lunar dust, map terrain, track navigation targets and investigate helium-3 in the regolith. The planned IM-3 mission targeted the lunar swirl Reiner Gamma and included NASA's Lunar Vertex investigation.
35. Griffin-1 NASA's August 2026 Moon Base update: its chapter on Astrobotic's Griffin-1 mission.
36. VIPER, a rover designed to search for and map water ice and other volatiles, was planned to reach the lunar south pole in late 2027 aboard a second Blue Moon Mark 1 lander. The CAPSTONE 02 mission targeted a 2027 launch to test rendezvous, autonomous navigation and cislunar communications in lunar orbit.
37. VIPER NASA's October 2026 Moon Base update: its chapter on the VIPER rover and its search for water ice at the south pole.
38. NASA awarded Firefly Aerospace a $75 million contract to build four propulsive drones for exploring the lunar south pole. The planned MoonFall mission targeted four drones to survey the south pole in 2028, making short flights to collect high-resolution imagery of potential Artemis landing sites. NASA was also considering the PROMISE Mars rover as a possible technology and science demonstration on the lunar surface.
39. The planned Altus-1 satellite, under Intuitive Machines' NASA contract, was intended as the first element of a lunar relay network. The NavCube3-mini technology demonstration was to test whether navigation signals from Earth orbit can determine a spacecraft's position near the Moon. NASA released its CLPS 2.0 request for proposals on 15 May 2026, with responses due 30 June 2026.
40. Rovers, landers and science
41. NASA selected Astrolab and Lunar Outpost to develop the first lunar terrain vehicles for Artemis surface operations, awarding Astrolab $219 million and Lunar Outpost $220 million for the first phase of development. The vehicles were planned as unpressurized rovers carrying two suited crew members and cargo, able to operate autonomously, by teleoperation or with a single suited crew member at the controls. Astrolab's CLV-1 was described as a crewed rover of about 2,000 pounds that can exceed 6 mph on level terrain. Lunar Outpost's Pegasus was described as able to operate for up to one year and to drive manually, autonomously or by teleoperation at more than 9 mph. NASA planned to deliver both rovers to the Moon in 2028.
42. The Lunar Terrain Vehicle NASA's October 2026 Moon Base update: its chapter on the crewed Lunar Terrain Vehicle being developed for Artemis surface operations.
43. The DISCO payload was designed to measure ice directly in lunar micro-cold traps and to assess the surface for future operations. GIMLI was to investigate the Marius Hills Pit for underground lava tubes that could one day shelter astronauts. LEMS-SP, a monitoring station, was designed to track lunar micrometeoroids, volatiles and seismic events over the long term.
44. Cost and open questions
45. Estimates of the cost and schedule differ by source. Spaceflight Now and CBS News reported on 24 March 2026 that NASA's announcement put the base at approximately $20 billion over seven years. Scientific American reported a $30 billion NASA plan aiming for a permanent human presence at the lunar south pole by 2036. On 1 July 2026, ABC News reported that NASA aimed for a permanent human presence on the Moon by 2032. NASA's phases page placed the start of the permanent outpost phase in 2032.
46. Under the March 2026 proposal, two lunar landing missions would launch each year, with crewed landings planned twice yearly. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the Moon Base was designed to allow a long-term human presence and to grow scientific and commercial work at the lunar south pole, with missions producing operational data and lowering risk ahead of crewed Artemis surface activities. The architecture drew on commercial lunar payload services and international partners, and its planned infrastructure included nuclear and solar power systems, rovers, communications networks, lunar navigation and relay satellites. In October 2026, NASA's phases page described the Moon Base as a future outpost rather than a finished facility, meant to support a lasting human presence, scientific discovery and preparation for deep-space exploration.
47. Timeline
48. 2026-04-01: Artemis II launches on the first crewed lunar flyby of the program.
49. 2026-04-10: Artemis II splashes down in the Pacific Ocean after a nearly ten-day mission.
50. 2026-05-15: NASA releases its CLPS 2.0 request for proposals.
51. 2026-05-26: NASA announces three uncrewed lunar lander missions, lunar terrain vehicle awards, and Firefly's drone contract.
52. 2026-06-09: NASA names the Artemis III crew and reframes the mission as a low-Earth-orbit rendezvous and docking test.
53. 2026-06-30: Responses to NASA's CLPS 2.0 request for proposals are due.
54. 2026-07-01: ABC News reports a NASA target of 2032 for a permanent human presence on the Moon.
55. 2026-09-30: NASA announces three PRISM science investigations for the Moon Base program: LEMS-SP, GIMLI, and DISCO.
56. 2026-10-20: NASA's Moon Base phases page describes the program as a planned future outpost in three phases running 2026 into the 2030s.
57. 2027: NASA targets the CAPSTONE 02 mission for launch to test rendezvous, autonomous navigation, and cislunar communications.
58. 2027: NASA targets VIPER for delivery to the lunar south pole in late 2027.
59. 2028: NASA targets delivery of the first lunar terrain vehicles and the MoonFall propulsive drones to the Moon.

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