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NASA Moon Base

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1. What we know so far
2. As of June 2026, NASA planned the first crewed landing of the Artemis program for the Artemis IV mission in 2028, after Artemis III tests the commercial landers in Earth orbit in 2027, according to NBC News.
3. On 30 September 2026, NASA selected three science investigations for the Moon Base program, including 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.
4. On 10 April 2026, NASA's Artemis II crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after a roughly ten-day lunar flyby that did not enter lunar orbit.
5. On 9 June 2026, NASA announced the Artemis III crew and reframed the mission as a low-Earth-orbit rendezvous and docking test rather than a lunar landing.
6. On 26 May 2026, NASA said Moon Base I was targeted 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.
7. On 26 May 2026, NASA unveiled three robotic precursor lander missions intended to deliver instruments and rovers to the lunar surface that year.
8. On 24 March 2026, NASA's announcement described a $20 billion plan over seven years, while Scientific American reported a $30 billion plan targeting a permanent presence by 2036.
9. On 1 July 2026, ABC News reported that NASA aimed to establish a permanent human presence on the Moon by 2032.
10. On 15 May 2026, NASA released its request for proposals for the second round of Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS 2.0), with responses due 30 June 2026.
11. Key facts
12. Earlier concept: Artemis Base Camp
13. Planned location: Lunar south pole
14. Cost (Spaceflight Now / CBS): Approximately $20 billion over seven years
15. Cost (Scientific American): $30 billion plan (per Scientific American)
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 yet placed on the lunar surface
20. NASA Moon Base is the planned United States lunar outpost near the Moon's south pole, developed under the Artemis program and formerly known as Artemis Base Camp.
21. From Artemis Base Camp to Moon Base
22. Earlier Artemis planning referred to a surface outpost as Artemis Base Camp, a concept documented on Wikipedia for background. In March 2026, NASA's revised architecture paused development of the planned Gateway lunar-orbit station and redirected effort toward sustained lunar-surface operations, including the future consideration of an orbital outpost. According to SpacePolicyOnline, the revised plan relied on private lunar landers for planned crewed missions after the current SLS-based missions. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, speaking in May 2026, said the agency would take an iterative approach involving landers, rovers, technology demonstrations, and scientific payloads rather than immediately constructing a finished base.
23. Artemis II
24. Artemis II launched on 1 April 2026 and splashed down on 10 April 2026 after a nearly ten-day lunar flyby that did not land or enter lunar orbit. The four-person crew returned to Houston and reunited with their families on 11 April 2026. The Associated Press reported the flight as a record-setting lunar voyage that did not include a landing.
25. Artemis III and the first landing
26. NASA announced the Artemis III crew on 9 June 2026 as Randy Bresnik, Luca Parmitano, Frank Rubio, and Andre Douglas. The mission was redesigned as a low-Earth-orbit demonstration rather than a lunar landing, intended to test rendezvous and docking between Orion and pathfinder Human Landing System vehicles from Blue Origin and SpaceX. NASA planned the Artemis III mission to last about two weeks and to involve three launches, two dockings, and an Orion splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. NBC News reported that the landers being tested are slated to carry astronauts to the surface of the Moon on the Artemis IV mission in 2028. Wikipedia's article on the mission records that before February 2026, Artemis III had been the planned landing mission, a role since moved to Artemis IV.
27. The three phases
28. NASA's 2026 plan called for Moon Base development in three phases, with the first phase focused on robotic missions and technology demonstrations. The agency described the first phase as running from 2026 through 2029 and intended to test technologies before human missions, using near-term demonstrations, robotic missions, and early experiments to mature capabilities over time. According to NASA, Phase One activities were intended to identify infrastructure sites, improve mission capabilities, and reduce risk before astronauts arrived. NASA records that the second phase was planned for 2029 through 2032 and included infrastructure for long-term operations. The third phase was planned to begin in 2032 and included assembling a permanent lunar outpost near the Moon's south pole. ABC News reported that NASA's planned third phase included habitation modules, a nuclear reactor and long-range rovers, and that the agency anticipated 29 rocket launches and 28 Moon landings during it. NASA states that the planned JAXA pressurized rover for Phase Two was intended to support exploration missions of up to 28 days between cargo resupply periods of up to 14 days.
29. NASA planned 25 launches and 21 Moon landings during the first phase. The agency planned additional Phase One lunar missions and activities as the program continued to develop, alongside additional missions, assets, and activities for Phases Two and Three.
30. Robotic precursor missions
31. On 26 May 2026, NASA announced three uncrewed lunar lander missions intended to prepare for the eventual base. NASA's Moon Base I mission was targeted 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. Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 1 Endurance mission was planned to land on the Shackleton Connecting Ridge and carry 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.
32. Moon Base II was planned for a later-2026 launch using Astrobotic's Griffin lander to deliver more than 1,100 pounds of cargo and Astrolab's FLIP rover. According to NASA, the Griffin-1 mission included instruments intended 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 region Reiner Gamma and included NASA's Lunar Vertex investigation.
33. NASA planned the VIPER rover to reach the lunar south pole in late 2027 aboard a second Blue Moon Mark 1 lander, where it was designed to search for and map water ice and other volatiles. The CAPSTONE 02 mission targeted a 2027 launch to test rendezvous, autonomous navigation, and cislunar communications in lunar orbit.
34. NASA awarded Firefly Aerospace a $75 million contract to build four propulsive drones for lunar south-pole exploration. The agency's planned MoonFall mission targeted four drones for lunar south-pole surveying in 2028, intended to conduct short flights and collect high-resolution imagery of potential Artemis landing sites. The PROMISE Mars rover was under consideration as a possible technology and science demonstration on the lunar surface.
35. NASA's planned Altus-1 satellite was intended to serve as the first element of a lunar relay network under Intuitive Machines' NASA contract. The NavCube3-mini technology demonstration was intended to test using Earth-orbit navigation signals to determine spacecraft position near the Moon. NASA released its CLPS 2.0 request for proposals on 15 May 2026, with responses due 30 June 2026.
36. Rovers, landers and science
37. 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. Astrolab's CLV-1 was described as a crewed rover with a mass of about 2,000 pounds and a level-terrain speed capability above 6 mph. Lunar Outpost's Pegasus rover was described as capable of operating for up to one year and driving manually, autonomously, or by teleoperation at speeds above 9 mph. The planned vehicles were unpressurized rovers for transporting two suited crew members and cargo and could operate autonomously, by teleoperators, or by a single suited crew member. NASA planned to deliver Astrolab's CLV-1 and Lunar Outpost's Pegasus to the Moon in 2028.
38. The DISCO payload was designed to make direct measurements of ice in lunar micro-cold traps and assess the lunar surface for future operations. The GIMLI payload was intended to investigate the Marius Hills Pit for possible underground lava tubes that could serve as future astronaut shelters. NASA records that the LEMS-SP station was designed for long-term monitoring of lunar micrometeoroids, volatiles, and seismic events.
39. Cost and open questions
40. Spaceflight Now and CBS News reported on 24 March 2026 that NASA's announcement described the planned base as costing approximately $20 billion over seven years. Scientific American reported a $30 billion NASA plan targeting a permanent human presence at the lunar south pole by 2036. On 1 July 2026, ABC News reported that NASA aimed to establish a permanent human presence on the Moon by 2032. NASA's phases page placed the beginning of the permanent outpost phase in 2032 onward.
41. Under the March 2026 proposal, two lunar landing missions would launch each year, with crewed landings planned twice yearly. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, the Moon Base was designed to allow 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 lunar base architecture planned by NASA drew on commercial lunar payload services and international partners, and the planned infrastructure encompassed nuclear and solar power systems, rovers, communications networks, lunar navigation, and relay satellites. NASA's October 2026 phases page characterized the Moon Base as a future outpost rather than a finished facility, meant to support lasting human presence, scientific discovery, and preparation for future deep-space exploration.
42. Timeline
43. 2026-04-01: Artemis II launches on the first crewed lunar flyby of the program.
44. 2026-04-10: Artemis II splashes down in the Pacific Ocean after a nearly ten-day mission.
45. 2026-05-15: NASA releases its CLPS 2.0 request for proposals.
46. 2026-05-26: NASA announces three uncrewed lunar lander missions, lunar terrain vehicle awards, and Firefly's drone contract.
47. 2026-06-09: NASA names the Artemis III crew and reframes the mission as a low-Earth-orbit rendezvous and docking test.
48. 2026-06-30: Responses to NASA's CLPS 2.0 request for proposals are due.
49. 2026-07-01: ABC News reports a NASA target of 2032 for a permanent human presence on the Moon.
50. 2026-09-30: NASA announces three PRISM science investigations for the Moon Base program: LEMS-SP, GIMLI, and DISCO.
51. 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.
52. 2027: NASA targets the CAPSTONE 02 mission for launch to test rendezvous, autonomous navigation, and cislunar communications.
53. 2027: NASA targets VIPER for delivery to the lunar south pole in late 2027.
54. 2028: NASA targets delivery of the first lunar terrain vehicles and the MoonFall propulsive drones to the Moon.

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