US EditionNASA Unveils Plans for Permanent Moon Base and Nuclear Mars Mission
NASA will invest $20 billion over seven years to build a permanent lunar base in phases, shifting focus from the costly Lunar Gateway to surface operations for science and Mars prep.
- On Tuesday, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman unveiled "Ignition," a comprehensive restructuring prioritizing sustained human presence on the Moon and accelerated Mars missions.
- Isaacman framed the shift as necessary, arguing NASA can no longer afford to pursue too many costly endeavors simultaneously while aligning with President Donald Trump's National Space Policy.
- The phased approach includes a $10 billion Phase One featuring frequent robotic landings and "MoonFall" drones, while pausing the Gateway lunar space station to redirect resources toward surface infrastructure.
- NASA opens an industry RFI on Wednesday, March 25, to solicit feedback on partnership structures while converting thousands of contractor positions to civil service to rebuild core competencies.
- Beyond the Moon, NASA will launch Space Reactor 1 Freedom to Mars before the end of 2028. "The United States will never give up the Moon again," Isaacman wrote, emphasizing staying power.
151 Articles
151 Articles
NASA aims to build $20B lunar base
NASA is abandoning efforts to build a space station orbiting the Moon, and will instead put $20 billion toward a lunar base, officials announced Tuesday. The ambitious plan calls for dozens of launches in the next decade, with crews eventually exploring the lunar south pole. “The goal is not flags and footprints but to stay on the Moon,” the US space agency chief said. The move comes as a new space race unfolds: China aims to send crews to the M…
We will return to the Moon. And we will stay. That is the new promise of NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), which this Tuesday revealed a new series of initiatives to "advance the leadership of the United States in space." The most ambitious: to build a permanent lunar base that guarantees the American presence on the natural satellite and allows to jump to Mars.Read more
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