NASA Details Next Steps in Billion-Dollar Plans for Humans to Live on the Moon as Soon as the 2030s
NASA has outlined detailed plans for establishing a permanent human base near the moon’s south pole by the 2030s, funded by a $20 billion initiative and powered by nuclear and solar energy. The agency awarded contracts to four U.S. companies, including Blue Origin, and plans to send landers, drones, and cargo missions to prepare for astronaut landings as early as 2028 under the Artemis program.
NASA has revealed further steps in its $20 billion plan to build a permanent lunar base near the moon’s south pole by the early 2030s. The agency announced contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars to four U.S. companies, including Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, to support the project. The base will be powered by nuclear and solar energy, enabling scientific research, resource gathering, and potential Mars missions. The plan involves three initial phases this year: sending landers and drones to study the Shackleton Connecting Ridge, delivering over 1,000 pounds of cargo and a lunar rover, and incorporating materials from European and South Korean partners. NASA aims to establish a ‘permanent human presence’ on the moon through more than a dozen missions, with astronauts returning as early as 2028 under the Artemis IV mission. The agency emphasized the base’s role as ‘humanity’s first outpost on another celestial world,’ citing scientific, economic, and technological benefits. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman highlighted the mission’s importance for innovation and preparing for future space exploration, including Mars. The project follows the successful Artemis II mission, where astronauts orbited the moon for the first time in decades.
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