CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) – In less than two months following the Artemis II mission’s groundbreaking lunar orbital journey, NASA has commenced procurement of equipment, including landers, rovers, and drones, essential for the establishment of an expansive lunar settlement.
On Tuesday, the space agency unveiled the initial phase of its lunar base development strategy, allocating hundreds of millions of dollars through contracts awarded to four domestic U.S. enterprises.
Blue Origin, an entity headed by Jeff Bezos, is slated to furnish a pair of landers designed to transport lunar vehicles to the surface of the Moon, specifically to a location in proximity to the lunar south pole. These vehicles, referred to as lunar terrain vehicles, will be manufactured by Astrolab and Lunar Outpost. The designated landing site is situated near the moon’s southern polar region.
Firefly Aerospace, which achieved a successful lunar landing in the preceding year, will be responsible for deploying the inaugural fleet of drones to the Moon.
This suite of hardware is anticipated to arrive on the lunar surface prior to the scheduled arrival of the first Artemis astronauts, which is currently projected for 2028.
During the Artemis II expedition undertaken in April, a crew of four astronauts completed a circumnavigation of the Moon, venturing further into space than any of the Apollo lunar missions accomplished between the late 1960s and early 1970s.
For the imminent Artemis III mission slated for next year, a distinct astronaut contingent will engage in practicing the docking procedures of NASA’s Orion spacecraft within Earth’s orbit, synchronizing with the lunar landers currently under development by Blue Origin and SpaceX, an enterprise led by Elon Musk.
NASA’s target for the Artemis III mission is mid-2027, with a lunar landing by two astronauts anticipated as early as 2028. The subsequent developmental phase of the lunar base, commencing in 2029 and extending into the early 2030s, will focus on establishing permanent infrastructure, including a robust power grid.
The realization of a lunar base capable of sustaining astronauts for prolonged durations within specialized, permanent habitation modules is projected to occur sometime within the 2030s, during the third developmental epoch.
“At that juncture, we will be able to definitively state, ‘We are permanently established here, and our presence is enduring,'” articulated Carlos Garcia-Galan, NASA’s executive for the lunar base program.
Garcia-Galan envisions a lunar outpost that would geographically span hundreds of square miles, with its perimeter demarcated by a network of deployed drones, designated as MoonFall, positioned at strategic intervals.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated that these territorial markers are intended to demonstrate consideration for any other nations’ spacecraft and equipment that might be operating in close proximity, with an expectation of reciprocal respect.
The overarching objective of the lunar base initiative, as emphasized by Isaacman, is to foster the growth of a lunar economy, facilitate rigorous scientific investigation, and lay the groundwork for forthcoming expeditions to Mars.
“For those who have been awaiting this moment with patience, the momentous return is now imminent, and our progress will not falter,” Isaacman declared. “We are, in essence, just embarking on this journey.”
