NASA sets 2028 as the date to colonise the moon: A $20 billion plan and a permanent lunar base

The $20B Moon Base Procurement Architecture

What it MeansNASA’s March 24 Ignition event simultaneously released five procurement instruments across three Moon Base phases. Phase 1 rides existing IDIQ vehicles — two draft RFPs are live today against the CLPS 1.0 IDIQ, and the LTV Services down-select is expected in H2 2026. CLPS 2.0, which opens competition beyond the current domestic-only vendor pool, targets new contract awards by the end of Government Fiscal Year 2026. Phases 2 and 3 ha…

NASA sets 2028 as the date to colonise the moon: A $20 billion plan and a permanent lunar base

NASA is preparing its return to the Moon with a strategic shift, more infrastructure and reusable technology, as well as the goal of learning how to live beyond the planet.It has been more than 50 years since crewed missions last returned to the Moon.For decades, returning to the Moon was a longing charged with nostalgia, almost an exercise in historical memory. However, NASA’s new plan breaks with that logic and proposes something far more ambi…

CLPS Companies Excited For NASA’s ‘Opportunity Bomb’ Lunar Plan

Last week, NASA laid out a vision for a lunar base that’s built and supplied through monthly uncrewed lunar landings, with launches beginning as soon as next year.It’s no surprise that CLPS companies are raring to go.  “This was an opportunity bomb,” Intuitive Machines CTO Tim Crain told Payload.  Step back: NASA announced the launch of CLPS 2.0 event on March 24, with details released in a draft RFP. The second phase of the commercial lunar del…