Tag

Moon Base

All articles tagged with #moon base

space50 minutes ago•6 min saved

NASA taps rover teams and drone scouts to seed the Moon Base program

NASA selected Astrolab and Lunar Outpost to design rovers to support a planned Moon Base, to be delivered to the lunar surface by Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 lander under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program; the rovers, intended for scouting and science and operable autonomously or via teleoperation, are expected to help Artemis astronauts by 2028. The awards total roughly $219–220 million for the rover contracts, with the first Moon Base mission renamed Moon Base 1 and related missions (Astrobotic Griffin-1 and Intuitive Machines IM-3) renamed Moon Base 2 and Moon Base 3. Separately, Firefly Aerospace will deliver MoonFall drones, launched from lunar orbit by a Firefly Elytra Dark spacecraft, to scout terrain, with a planned 2028 launch. Intuitive Machines was not selected in this initial round, though NASA says it may win later task orders. The program updates reflect NASA’s shift toward a more streamlined, affordable Moon Base rollout and the use of CLPS 2.0 for cargo deliveries.

via SpaceNews|

#astrolab #blue-origin #lunar-outpost

technology5 hours ago•4 min saved

NASA taps Blue Origin for first private lunar lander on path to Moon base

NASA picked Blue Origin to fly the first of three uncrewed lunar missions, funding roughly $230 million toward the initial two lander missions to test payloads and tech for a future Moon base, with SpaceX as a competing option for crew landers and Artemis missions; the plan pursues an iterative, privately supported path to a sustained lunar presence by the 2030s.

via The Guardian|

#artemis #blue-origin #moon-base

technology2 days ago•74 min saved

Lunar Strike: A sober, near-future vision of humanity's Moon base

Lunar Strike imagines a near-future Moon base where climate-change, geopolitical strain, and dwindling funding have shifted space ambition from exploration to survival. You play as a junior archivist for the in-universe ARCK project, documenting humanity’s lunar settlement while fending off a terrorist faction; the story emphasizes a lived-in base at the Moon’s south pole and AI that supports people rather than runs the colony. Set against Artemis-era context and ongoing Earth-space tensions, the game offers a pessimistic but grounded look at how we might live and preserve history on the Moon. Release is planned for PC with no fixed date beyond 2026.

via Space|

#ai #artemis #cognition

space4 days ago•32 min saved

NASA Unveils Sweeping Reboot to Accelerate Artemis and Moon Base Plans

A lengthy memo from NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman outlines a broad reorganization to make NASA more mission-centric, consolidate centers, create new directorates (including a combined Human Spaceflight Mission Directorate and a unified Space Technology/Nuclear Power directorate), and accelerate Artemis missions with a Moon Base program. The plan also centralizes authority for lunar and nuclear initiatives, establishes a Lower Earth Orbit program, pushes a faster transition toward commercial partnerships and private space stations, and includes a series of directives on governance, funding, communications, workforce conversion from contractors to civil service, HQ relocation planning, and oversight to deliver more science and missions on a tighter timeline.

via NASA Watch|

#artemis #moon-base #nasa

space-policy24 days ago•16 min saved

NASA Raises CLPS Ceiling to Accelerate Moon Base Lander Cadence

NASA plans to raise the maximum value of its Commercial Lunar Payload Services contract from $2.6 billion to $4.2 billion to support a projected surge in robotic lunar landings for Moon Base, with 13 eligible contractors and a goal of ramping up to a monthly landing cadence; the agency expects to award more missions and/or higher-value missions through 2028 and beyond as companies scale production and move toward standardized, build-to-print landers.

via SpaceNews|

#clps #intuitive-machines #lunar-lander

technology1 month ago•5 min saved

Space Force Creates Cislunar Acquisition Office to Back NASA Moon-Base Plans

The U.S. Space Force is standing up a Cislunar Coordination Office within its acquisition arm to map government players, develop roadmaps, and coordinate technology and partnerships for a NASA-backed lunar outpost by 2030, led by Jamie Stearns, aiming to enable secure, continuous comms and scalable launch infrastructure as it works with NASA, DARPA, AFRL and DNI; AFRL’s Oracle Prime cislunar monitoring satellite is planned for launch near L1 to enhance space situational awareness, alongside ongoing CAPSTONE and Artemis II efforts.

via Breaking Defense|

#cislunar-space #moon-base #nasa

space1 month ago•180 min saved

NASA maps a lunar base push while eyeing a nuclear-powered Mars mission

NASA’s new leadership unveiled an ambitious plan: fast‑track a permanent Moon base by repurposing Gateway assets and increasing robotic landers, pause the Gateway project, and accelerate a nuclear electric propulsion–powered Mars mission by 2028, while weighing funding, timelines, and private‑sector collaboration as Artemis progresses toward returning humans to the Moon.

via CNN|

#artemis #gateway #moon-base

science1 month ago•21 min saved

NASA halts lunar Gateway to push moon base as a comet spins back and Saturn dazzles

NASA is pausing its lunar Gateway program to pursue a three‑phase plan for a Moon base as part of the Artemis program, with crewed Moon landings slated to begin after Artemis V around 2028. Separately, a study reports Comet 41P reversing its spin due to solar heating and jets, and new Saturn imagery from Webb and Hubble offers a detailed look at its layered atmosphere.

via Engadget|

#artemis #comet-41p #gateway

space2 months ago•6 min saved

Artemis II reboots lunar plans, prompting a rethink of why we return

NASA's Artemis II mission launches as the opening act in a broader push to build a permanent lunar base near the south pole and return humans to the Moon by 2028; the article argues that fixing on beating China risks compromising the program's goals and that the Moon base should be justified by science and long‑term exploration rather than geopolitics.

via The Economist|

#artemis-ii #china-space-race #lunar-exploration

space2 months ago•4 min saved

NASA pivots from Gateway to a $20B Moon base plan

NASA will pause the Gateway lunar orbital station and redirect about $20 billion over seven years to build a permanent surface base near the Moon's south pole, reshaping the Artemis program with a focus on surface operations and partnerships.

via ScienceAlert|

#artemis #esa #gateway

science-and-technology2 months ago•3 min saved

NASA charts $20B lunar base plan and nuclear Mars mission

NASA unveils a seven-year, $20 billion overhaul to build a surface lunar base with robotic prep, repurpose the Lunar Gateway for surface infrastructure (pausing its orbital role), and advance a nuclear-powered Mars mission via Space Reactor 1 Freedom by 2028, including a Mars helicopter test; the move reshapes Artemis and heightens competition with China.

via Al Jazeera|

#artemis-program #moon-base #nasa

space2 months ago•74 min saved

NASA shelves lunar Gateway to accelerate a Moon base

NASA has paused the planned lunar Gateway space station to focus on surface infrastructure for a sustained Moon presence under Artemis, repurposing Gateway hardware for landers, rovers and habitats. The move aims to accelerate crewed lunar missions with a higher launch cadence and a three‑phase plan to a long‑term Moon base (~$20B), with Artemis II slated for early April, Artemis III targeting 2027 and Artemis IV around 2028, and no Gateway rendezvous for the near-term, though NASA says Gateway could be revisited in the future.

via Space|

#artemis-program #clps #gateway-space-station

technology2 months ago•7 min saved

NASA pivots from orbital gateway to a surface-based Moon base

NASA announced a shift to a surface-focused Moon base built in three phases by 2036, scrapping the Lunar Gateway in favor of direct surface infrastructure. The plan relies on expanded Commercial Lunar Payload Services, two lunar communications satellite networks, and a mix of nuclear and solar power, rovers, and habitats to enable long-term presence and in-situ manufacturing. Each phase is projected at about $10 billion, with milestones including 21 landings by 2028, 27 landings in 2029–2032, and 28 landings in 2032–2036, culminating in habitats for four astronauts and a robust lunar industrial ecosystem.

via Ars Technica|

#commercial-lunar-payload-services #lunar-gateway #moon-base

space2 months ago•3 min saved

NASA shifts from lunar Gateway to build a surface-based lunar outpost

NASA announced a major pivot in its Artemis program, halting the Lunar Gateway in favor of a three‑phase plan to establish a surface-based lunar base with about $20 billion over seven years. Phase 1 (2026–28) aims for reliable lunar access, tech development, and site surveys at the south pole; Phase 2 (2029–31) adds infrastructure and supports two crewed missions per year; Phase 3 (2032+) targets long‑duration exploration with routine logistics and uncrewed cargo returns. The base would repurpose Gateway elements where possible, introduce new capabilities like MoonFall drones and updated rovers, and requires congressional approval, while international partners remain involved with details still being outlined.

via SpaceNews|

#artemis #clps #gateway

space-exploration2 months ago•55 min saved

US lawmakers push for a permanent Moon base to secure long-term lunar presence

A bipartisan push in Congress via the NASA Authorization Act of 2026 would establish a permanent Lunar Surface Moon Base to sustain a US presence on the Moon with long‑duration habitation and robotics/industrial capabilities for science, technology demonstrations, and future Mars missions. The bill seeks an enduring lunar presence, tasks NASA with evaluating crew rescue options, and is framed within the broader space‑race context with China, aligned with Artemis and recent US space policy.

via Space|

#artemis-program #china-space-race #enduring-lunar-presence