According to the website of NASA, on May 26 local time, NASA released updates on the progress of its lunar base exploration vehicles, landers, and launch missions. NASA also announced plans to carry out three unmanned lunar landings later this year as an early step toward establishing a permanent base on the moons surface.
All of these tasks will be carried out by robots. They will take place before astronauts land on the moon. The purpose is to survey the southern pole of the moon, collect scientific data, test technologies, and prepare for astronauts return to the moon in 2028.
NASA Director Isaacman issued a statement saying: This base will be the United States and humanitys first outpost on another planet.
He said, We will return to the surface of the moon, build infrastructure for long-term settlement, and acquire the skills necessary to live and operate in one of the most harsh and dangerous environments that humans can imagine.
According to a report by the American National Broadcasting Company (NBC), at that press conference, Isaacman said, We wont build the glass dome base directly. Instead, we plan to use an iterative approach, sending signals to the industry to request the construction of numerous landers, lunar vehicles, technical demonstrations, and any scientific payloads that these missions can carry.
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On that day, NASA announced the first batch of lunar base missions, a total of three.
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The British newspaper The Guardian reported that NASA has allocated over $200 million to Blue Origin. However, most of the operating costs will be borne by the company itself. Isaacman said, Project 1 will be the first privately funded lunar landing mission in history.
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According to reports, these three tasks are part of NASAs three-step long-term plan for establishing bases on the moon.
The first phase is expected to last until 2029, including a series of intensive unmanned missions. NASA stated, There will be 25 launches and 21 landings during the first phase. We plan to deliver approximately 4 metric tons of cargo to the surface of the Moon.
In the second phase (2029 to 2032), NASA plans to build semi-permanent facilities in order to enable early lunar habitation.
By the third stage (starting in 2032), NASAs goal is to establish a permanent presence on the lunar surface. The size of the lunar base could reach hundreds of square miles. NASA officials say that by then, they believe it will be possible for people to regularly travel between the Moon and Earth, with continuous activities taking place on the lunar surface.
Meanwhile, NASA also announced several significant grants to American private aerospace companies.
NASAs lunar base program will be carried out simultaneously with its Artemis mission to return to the moon. Last month, the Artemis 2 mission sent four astronauts on a 10-day orbit around Earth and the moon mission. This is NASAs first lunar mission in over 50 years.
According to reports, NASAs next goal is to launch the Artemis 3 mission in 2027. Both Blue Origin and SpaceX will use their respective lunar landers being developed for this mission to conduct technical demonstrations in low-Earth orbit. If successful, NASA plans to launch the Artemis 4 mission in 2028, aiming to send astronauts to the moon.
At the press conference on the 26th, Isaacman announced with confidence to the audience: For those who have been patiently waiting, a grand return is just around the corner. We wont slow down at all.
NASA displayed models of lunar landers and manned lunar vehicles at its press conference on the 26th. NASA Official Website
However, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) stated that most experts believe that NASAs lunar landing schedule is unrealistic.
According to reports, the success of NASAs plan depends on whether its possible to develop spacecraft that can safely transport humans to the moon. SpaceX is responsible for building a spacecraft called Starship Manned Landing System. However, SpaceX has encountered several setbacks and delays in recent years.
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The BBC also said that in the aerospace industry, many scientists believe that China is likely to be the next country to send humans onto the surface of the moon.
If China takes the lead in achieving lunar landing, I wont be surprised at all, Barber told the BBC. He also mentioned several major setbacks that NASA encountered during its previous attempts to return to the moon.
