NASA; moon landing and living

[Jitendra Hydonus]

For the last 50 years, humans have not set foot on the moon. That is about to change in a big way.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stood up at NASA headquarters in Washington D.C. and made one of the most ambitious announcements in the history of the space agency. NASA is building a permanent base on the moon. Not a research station. Not a temporary outpost. A place where humans can live and work long term, with astronauts landing every six months once it is fully operational.

The price tag is $20 billion over the next seven years.

The plan comes in three phases. First, NASA and its commercial partners will begin sending rovers, drones, and equipment to the moon on an almost monthly basis starting in 2027 to test power systems, communications, and mobility on the lunar surface.

Second, crews will begin constructing semi-habitable structures where astronauts can operate consistently. Third, full permanent habitats and pressurized vehicles will be delivered, transitioning the base from a temporary outpost into a home.
Nuclear reactors will be deployed both on the moon and in orbit to power it all.

Isaacman was direct about why this is happening now. "We find ourselves with a real geopolitical rival challenging American leadership in the high ground of space," he said. China has announced plans to land astronauts on the moon by 2030 and build its own permanent lunar base. It has already landed robots on the far side of the moon, returned samples to Earth, and is developing a new rocket and lunar lander specifically designed for a crewed mission. One space policy expert put it bluntly. Right now, China actually has the advantage at the moon.

Isaacman did not mince words about the stakes. "They might be early and recent history says we might be late. The difference between success and failure will be measured in months, not years."

NASA's first crewed lunar flyby in over 50 years, the Artemis II mission, is set to launch as soon as next week. Astronauts are scheduled to land on the surface in 2028. After that, the goal is to never leave.

"This time," Isaacman said, "the goal is not flags and footprints. This time, the goal is to stay."