NASA has announced early plans for building a long-term base on the Moon, moving ahead with orders for landers, rovers and drones just weeks after its Artemis II lunar mission.
The US space agency revealed the first phase of its lunar base programme on Tuesday, awarding hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts to four American companies.
Under the plan, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin will provide a pair of landers to transport equipment to the Moon’s surface near the south pole. The landers will carry lunar buggies developed by companies Astrolab and Lunar Outpost. Meanwhile, Firefly Aerospace will send drones to support operations on the lunar surface.
NASA hopes the equipment will reach the Moon before astronauts land there again, with crewed missions expected as early as 2028.
The agency’s Artemis programme is already advancing. In April, Artemis II carried four astronauts around the Moon, flying farther into space than any human mission since the Apollo era. The next mission, Artemis III, planned for 2027, will test docking systems in orbit as part of preparations for landing astronauts on the lunar surface.
NASA is aiming for a human landing by 2028, followed by gradual expansion of the Moon base in the 2030s. Later phases will include building infrastructure such as a power system and eventually permanent habitats for astronauts.
Officials say the long-term goal is to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon.
NASA’s Moon base programme executive Carlos Garcia-Galan said the future base could stretch across hundreds of square miles, supported by drones placed at key locations to help monitor the area.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the system is also designed to respect other countries’ lunar missions and equipment, with expectations of similar cooperation from other space agencies.
He added that the Moon base is intended to support scientific research, encourage a lunar economy, and prepare for future missions to Mars.
“The journey is just beginning, and we are not slowing down,” Isaacman said.