NASA announced a three-phase plan on 24
March 2026 for establishing a permanent lunar base near the Moon’s south pole,
and confirmed it again on 27 May 2026
¨
NASA announced a
three-phase plan on 24 March 2026 for establishing a permanent lunar base near
the Moon’s south pole, and confirmed it again on 27 May 2026.
¨
The plan is part of the
Artemis Program aimed at establishing a sustained human presence on the Moon
and preparing for future Mars missions.
¨
The project involves an
estimated investment of about 20 billion USD over seven years.
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The lunar south pole has
been selected due to the presence of permanently shadowed regions that may
contain valuable resources.
Phase 1 (until 2029):
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Focus on robotic missions
and cargo delivery
¨
Testing of lunar surface
technologies
¨
Around 25 missions and 21
lunar landings planned
¨
Use of commercial lunar
payload services and lunar terrain vehicles
¨
Equipment delivery to the
Shackleton Connecting Ridge region
¨
Initial setup of “Moon
Base-I” may begin after 2026.
¨
The phase includes use of
Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mk1 Endurance Lander for cargo delivery and risk
reduction before human missions.
Phase 2 (2029–2032):
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Construction of
semi-habitable infrastructure
¨
Development of power grids
and surface communication systems
¨
Expansion of
long-duration astronaut operations (weeks to months)
Phase 3 (by 2036):
¨
Establishment of a
permanent lunar base
¨
Long-term human missions
on the Moon
¨
Planned regular crewed
landings approximately every six months
¨
The overall objective is
to ensure continuous human presence on the Moon and build infrastructure for
future interplanetary exploration.
