{"id":142259,"date":"2026-05-27T06:02:44","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T06:02:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/nasa-unveils-next-steps-to-build-permanent-moon-base\/"},"modified":"2026-05-27T06:02:44","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T06:02:44","slug":"nasa-unveils-next-steps-to-build-permanent-moon-base","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/nasa-unveils-next-steps-to-build-permanent-moon-base\/","title":{"rendered":"Nasa unveils next steps to build permanent Moon base"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nasa has released details of robotic landers, hopping drones and vehicles it aims to send to the Moon as part of US plans to build a lunar base.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos\u2019s space company Blue Origin is one of several companies picked to build the machines.<\/p>\n

The US wants to land Americans back on the Moon before President Donald Trump leaves office in 2029.<\/p>\n

But Nasa is competing with China to return humans to the lunar surface, meaning the space agency is under pressure to appear to be winning the new space race.<\/p>\n

China is forging ahead with its own plans to land humans on the Moon by 2030.<\/p>\n

On Monday it launched its Shenzhou-23 spacecraft, sending a crew of astronauts to the country\u2019s Tiangong space station.<\/p>\n

In March, Nasa announced a $20 billion programme to construct a permanent base powered by nuclear and solar energy at the Moon\u2019s south pole by 2032.<\/p>\n

Nasa administrator Jared Isaacman said on Tuesday that the announcements mean the US will \u201cnever give up the Moon again\u201d.<\/p>\n

A base would allow the US to carry out scientific experiments, potentially mine valuable resources, and travel to Mars more easily.<\/p>\n

But most experts agree that Nasa\u2019s timeline is unrealistic.<\/p>\n

Despite the US\u2019s success in sending four astronauts around the Moon in its Artemis II mission in April, some scientists believe China is likely to be the next country to land humans on the lunar surface.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would not surprise me at all if China gets there first,\u201d Dr Simeon Barber, Lunar Scientist at Open University, told BBC News, citing Nasa\u2019s setbacks in securing a craft that can land humans on the Moon.<\/p>\n

Nasa\u2019s Ignition Moon Base programme has three phases.<\/p>\n

Before humans travel there, the space agency wants to send robotic landers and hopping drones to explore and map the Moon\u2019s challenging terrain.<\/p>\n

Delivery vehicles would also be taken that could drive astronauts over the lunar surface and carry communications and scientific instruments.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, Nasa said companies including Blue Origin, Intuitive Machines, and Astrobotic have been awarded the contracts to build the machines.<\/p>\n

Nasa wants Blue Origin\u2019s lunar lander, called Endurance, to be able to carry out precise landings, as well as autonomous navigation and control.<\/p>\n

Astrobotic\u2019s Griffin-1 lander is expected to land at Nobile Crater near the South Pole.<\/p>\n

The machines will also deliver scientific instruments for Nasa, including high-resolution cameras and tools that use reflected laser light to help the craft land.<\/p>\n

This robotic exploration should last until 2029, with 25 launches and 4 metric tonnes of cargo landed on the Moon, Carlos Garc\u00eda-Gal\u00e1n, Moon Base programme executive said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Next, Nasa wants to build nuclear and solar power facilities on the Moon, including fission reactors.<\/p>\n

By 2032, the space agency wants humans to be able to live on the Moon in \u201csemi-permanent\u201d housing.<\/p>\n

Rovers would also enable astronauts to travel long-distance across the rocky surface.<\/p>\n

The Moon\u2019s South Pole is particularly appealing because frozen water could be used for drinking water or to produce oxygen.<\/p>\n

However, Nasa\u2019s plans rely on a spacecraft being ready that can safely transport humans to the Moon.<\/p>\n

Elon Musk\u2019s company SpaceX is contracted to build a craft called Starship Human Landing System, but it has faced numerous setbacks and delays.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe limiting step is getting the astronauts down onto the surface,\u201d explains lunar scientist Simeon Barber.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt sounds to me like [Nasa] feel they\u2019re in a position where they have to start saying they\u2019ve got plans. So I think there\u2019s a lot of political drive behind this,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

The post Nasa unveils next steps to build permanent Moon base<\/a> appeared first on KBC Digital<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nasa has released details of robotic landers, hopping drones and vehicles it aims to send to the Moon as part of US plans to build a lunar base. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos\u2019s space company Blue Origin is one of several companies picked to build the machines. The US wants to land Americans back on the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-142259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142259","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=142259"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142259\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=142259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=142259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=142259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}