NASA wants to put a $20 billion base on the Moon
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has big plans for the future of the agency, including the construction of a $20 billion lunar base that he said will establish an “enduring presence” on the Moon. Isaacman announced the news during NASA’s Ignition event on Tuesday, where he also described goals to launch a nuclear-powered spacecraft to Mars, as reported earlier by the New York Times.
As a result of plans to establish a base on the Moon, NASA announced that it’s pausing its Gateway project “in its current form,” which would’ve launched a space station orbiting the Moon. Instead, NASA plans to “shift focus to infrastructure that enables sustained surface operations,” and notes that it will “repurpose” some of the equipment that went into its Gateway project.
According to NASA, the agency aims to build the base in three phases, with the first involving the development of communications and navigation systems, along with the delivery of robotic landers and vehicles to help astronauts traverse the Moon. The next will involve “recurring astronaut operations on the surface” of the Moon, followed by the establishment of a “long-duration human presence,” allowing for the delivery of heavier infrastructure to create a permanent lunar base.
Isaacman didn’t provide a timeline for when the base will be complete, but said, “We will invest approximately $20 billion over the next seven years and build it through dozens of missions,” according to the NYT.
In addition to a new Moon base, NASA also outlined plans to launch the Space Reactor-1 Freedom, which it calls “the first nuclear powered interplanetary spacecraft,” to Mars by the end of 2028. When it reaches Mars, NASA said the spacecraft will deploy a payload with helicopters that are similar to Ingenuity, the small, autonomous helicopter that completed the first powered, controlled flight on Mars in 2021.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has big plans for the future of the agency, including the construction of a $20 billion lunar base that he said will establish an “enduring presence” on the Moon. Isaacman announced the news during NASA’s Ignition event on Tuesday, where he also described goals to launch…
Recent Posts
- LG Promo Codes and Coupons for June 2026
- 30% Off Canon Promo Codes | June 2026
- Steam Machine and Steam Frame are coming ‘this summer’
- Valve says it’s ready to launch the Steam Machine this summer
- Best Buy slashes up to $400 off Apple tech in a limited-time sale — get AirPods, MacBooks, iPads and Apple Watches from $99.99
Archives
- June 2026
- May 2026
- April 2026
- March 2026
- February 2026
- January 2026
- December 2025
- November 2025
- October 2025
- September 2025
- August 2025
- July 2025
- June 2025
- May 2025
- April 2025
- March 2025
- February 2025
- January 2025
- December 2024
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023