NASA prepares to build a lunar colony
In March, NASA Director Jared Isaacman announced the construction of a moon base. The first preparatory missions are scheduled to launch this year.
(Image: NASA)
New rovers, new landers, and more than a dozen missions. The US space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has detailed its plans for preparing permanent settlement of the Moon.
Three unmanned missions are scheduled to launch toward the Moon this year three unmanned missions towards the Moon. The third will also involve the European Space Agency (ESA) and the state-run Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI). NASA plans to announce further missions later in the year, according to its statements.
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“The Moon Base will be America’s and humanity’s first outpost on another celestial world,” said NASA Director Jared Isaacman. “Every mission, crewed and uncrewed, will be a learning opportunity as we return to the lunar surface, build the infrastructure to stay, and master the skills required to live and operate in one of the most demanding and dangerous environments imaginable.”
Three missions in 2026
With the Moon Base I mission, the unmanned lander Blue Moon Mark 1 Endurance from the US space company Blue Origin is scheduled to launch. According to NASA, the mission's goal is to demonstrate a precise landing and the functionality of important systems such as propulsion or autonomous navigation and control. Endurance will also carry two scientific payloads to the Moon: a camera system that records the interaction between the engine jet and the lunar surface during Endurance's descent and landing, and a laser that enables spacecraft in lunar orbit to determine their position more accurately.
Timeline for building a moon base
(Image:Â Edmy S. Cruz Reyes / NASA)
As part of Moon Base II, the Griffin lander from Astrobotic will be tested. It is expected to carry about half a ton of cargo to the Moon. This includes the rover Flip, developed by Astrolab, which will be used to gain experience for the development of future lunar vehicles (Lunar Terrain Vehicle, LTV).
The core of Moon Base III will be Intuitive Machines' Nova-C Trinity, which will carry the Lunar Vertex instrument. Its task will be to investigate bright spots on the lunar surface to gain insights into surface development and material behavior under extreme conditions. The lander will also carry payloads from ESA and KASI.
Lunar vehicles and drones
In addition, NASA has awarded US space companies Astrolab and Lunar Outpost $219 million and $220 million, respectively, for the construction of LTVs. Both rovers – Astrolab's Crewed Lunar Vehicle (CLV-1) and Lunar Outpost's Pegasus – are intended for astronauts to drive and transport payloads on the Moon. These two are expected to fly to the Moon with Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 1 lander.
Finally, NASA has commissioned the space company Firefly Aerospace to build a lander that will carry several drones to the Moon. These are being developed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and are scheduled to fly to the Moon in 2028.
New lunar plans
NASA Director Isaacman announced the reorganization of the US lunar program in March announced the reorganization of the US lunar program in March. NASA then plans to bring humans back to the Moon in 2028 and establish a permanently inhabited lunar base by the early 2030s. To achieve this, the planned construction of a space station in lunar orbit will be scrapped. This station, in which ESA would also have been involved, was intended as an intermediate stop for missions to the Moon and later to Mars.
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The reason for the changed plans is likely China's plans for a crewed lunar mission by 2030 and the establishment of a lunar base. “The clock is ticking in this great power competition. Success or failure will be measured in months, not years,” Isaacman said in March.
(wpl)
