- NASA plans to build a permanent Moon base near the South Pole starting with robots in 2026
- Astronauts may live and work on the Moon base in the 2030s as part of a multi-planetary goal
- Water ice extraction will provide drinking water, oxygen, and fuel for future space missions
More than five decades after the first Moon landing, NASA is preparing to build humanity's first permanent base on the Moon. The space agency plans to set up the outpost near the Moon's South Pole, where scientists believe large amounts of water ice are trapped. The project is expected to begin with robotic missions in 2026, while astronauts could start living and working there in the 2030s.
The Moon base is part of a larger goal by NASA to make humanity a multi-planetary species. The agency also hopes to leverage what it learns there to eventually send people to Mars.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said public support for returning to the Moon is stronger than ever. He believes the Moon will act as a testing ground where astronauts can learn to use local resources instead of depending entirely on supplies from Earth. "We're polling at like 70% [for] America's support to return to the moon, which is double that of during the Kennedy era,” Isaacman told the New York Post.
One of the biggest goals is to mine water ice from the surface of the moon. That water can be converted into drinking water, oxygen for astronauts to breathe and hydrogen-based fuel for future space missions.
The timeline of NASA is already starting to take shape. Artemis III, scheduled for 2027, will deliver commercial lunar landers and begin regular robotic missions to the south pole of the Moon. Artemis IV, which is anticipated in 2028, is intended to bring astronauts back to the surface of the moon and lay the groundwork for a permanent base.
“The three most powerful rockets in the world are going to launch over the course of about a week. “It's going to be really quite cool,” Isaacman said.
NASA has relied on private companies much more to get these missions done, unlike during the Apollo era. Commercial partners are expected to carry cargo, build infrastructure and develop technologies that may enable long-term human presence on the Moon.
Isaacman also believes a strong space economy is key to the future of exploration. Orbital AI data centres, pharmaceutical research and manufacturing in microgravity could eventually become profitable and help reduce reliance on government funding.
Looking further ahead, NASA hopes future Mars missions could answer one of humanity's biggest questions: did life ever exist beyond Earth? Scientists think samples returned from Mars in coming years could hold important clues.
Isaacman, a billionaire entrepreneur who's flown on private space missions, says NASA is trying to get faster and more efficient as well. The agency is also investing in nuclear-powered spacecraft, with its first such mission expected in 2028, while restructuring operations to cut costs.
NASA's renewed push comes as the US faces increased competition from China in space exploration.
