NASA announced a series of agency-wide initiatives designed to achieve President Trump’s National Space Policy on Tuesday. The initiatives include building a Moon base, a plan for continuous American presence on the International Space Station, several science missions and a nuclear-powered interplanetary spacecraft.
Artist’s concept of Phase 3 of NASA’s Moon Base. Credit: NASA
“NASA is committed to achieving the near‑impossible once again, to return to the Moon before the end of President Trump’s term, build a Moon base, establish an enduring presence, and do the other things needed to ensure American leadership in space,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.
NASA announced an additional 2027 mission to the Artemis program that will focus on testing integrated systems and operational capabilities in Earth orbit in advance of the Artemis IV lunar landing.
Building a lunar base
NASA also announced a phased approach to building a lunar base. The agency will spend $20 billion over the next seven years to build a Moon base near the lunar south pole, featuring habitats, pressurized rovers and nuclear power systems. NASA is pausing development of the Gateway lunar space station, instead repurposing the equipment for the permanent lunar base.
In the first phase, NASA and its commercial partners will send rovers, instruments and technology to the Moon to test mobility, power, communications, navigation and scientific tools. Then, they will begin building semi-habitable areas for astronauts, with help from international partners like Japan’s JAXA. The final phase will deliver larger habitats and vehicles, including equipment from the Italian Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency, as they transition from short-term missions to a permanent human presence on the Moon.
After Artemis V, the second planned lunar landing of the Artemis program, NASA is targeting crewed landings every six months using commercial hardware, with the potential to increase cadence further. Starting in 2027, the agency is planning for up to 30 robotic Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) landings.
As early as April, the Artemis II mission will carry a human crew around the Moon and back.
