NASA accelerates the construction of a permanent base on the Moon: what will the project that prepares the trip to Mars be like?

Behind that announcement appears a paradigm shift: the Moon stops being a visitor destination and becomes a definitive human setting. The project plans to develop a operations network near the South Pole through robotic missionsautonomous systems and collaboration with private companies, to turn this enclave into the test bed for future trips to Mars.

As part of the so-called Golden age of innovation and exploration, NASA plans a series of increasingly demanding manned expeditions. The goal is to use the satellite as a laboratory to drive scientific discoveries, generate economic opportunities and develop tools that will pave the way toward first human colony outside our territory.

The next stage will rest on three commercial operators. Astrobotic, Firefly Aerospace and Intuitive Machines will deploy strategic payloads through four moon landing missions scheduled for the end of 2028. Each one will carry scientific instruments and equipment that will facilitate operations on the surface of the star.

The investment, close to 600 million dollarsseeks to accelerate the development of critical capabilities. In addition to collecting substantial information, these activities will serve to validate the new space machinery, test logistical procedures and reduce risks in an environment where each mission will provide essential data to sustain a prolonged presence.

With 17 flights planned, the agency is evaluating incorporating the rover experimental PROMISE, based on Perseverance. In addition to studying the regolith – the layer of loose and fragmented material – it will seek to characterize the terrain to define the best locations to build modules that can resist the sudden thermal changes, radiation and the demanding environment of the lunar South Pole.

The return to the Moon is no longer measured by a single mission and is now organized as a long-range itinerary. To organize this calendar, NASA presented a roadmap divided into three consecutive phaseswhere each one incorporates new objectives and expands the scope of the next.

The initial stage, called “Phase 1”inaugurates the deployment of the operational complex on the Moon. According to Carlos García-Galán, the plan foresees several autonomous navigation units to prepare the area and set up the architectural bases. The schedule extends until 2028 and contemplates an investment of close to 10 billion dollars.

Las phases 2 and 3 They project expansion into the 2030s with pressurized habitats, power generation systems, and an increasingly stable presence. The ultimate goal, according to NASA, is for astronauts to be able live and work in settlements “semi-permanent”, transforming the Moon into a highway that connects with Mars.

Once the test phase is over, the lunar landscape will begin to be populated with energy networks, communication links, pressurized habitats and means of transportation capable of supporting an increasingly complex supply chain.

The main challenge is not in arriving, but in sustain permanence. During the presentation, Jared Isaacman recalled that the lunar South Pole, where Artemis and the future base will operate, present extreme conditions: large areas remain in darkness and the scarce sunlight complicates power generation, communications and tasks.

Among the developments with the greatest potential is Lockheed Martin’s energy system, designed to provide electricity during the long lunar night, when some regions remain without sunlight for weeks. The proposal combines wireless energy transmission and a thermal dissipation system designed to keep the equipment operational in extreme conditions.

While, Moonprint Solutions develops flexible covers to protect essential mechanisms, joints and hoses from abrasive regolith. Kall Morris Inc. designs a platform capable of docking with satellites and vehicles to inspect, repair and extend their useful life without replacing them.

Another key component will be MoonFall, a set of four drones developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) that will mark a paradigm shift in lunar exploration.

Instead of moving slowly like a rover, these aircraft will make powered jumps to inspect inaccessible areas, generate high resolution mapsstudy ice deposits and define the points with the greatest potential to host future long-term operations.

The drones will travel to the Moon aboard the Elytra spacecraft, developed by Firefly Aerospace, which will release them during its approach to the South Pole, scheduled for 2028. Each unit will operate independently for a full lunar day – equivalent to two Earth weeks – and will then continue to transmit information while withstanding extreme environmental conditions.

“This initiative recovers the formula that worked for NASA in the 1960s. We did not go directly to Apollo 11: before there were the Mercury, Gemini programs and several Apollo missions. Now we seek to return to that same pace of gradual progress,” Isaacman said.

The race to build the first American lunar base suffered an unexpected setback. The official agenda planned to begin the new leg of Artemis in September with the launch of a descent module aboard the New Glenn, Jeff Bezos’s most powerful rocket. But an explosion during an engine test at Cape Canaveral forced a review of deadlines and priorities.

The incident occurred at a particularly sensitive time. Days before, NASA had confirmed Blue Origin as one of the strategic partners of the program aimed at establishing a permanent presence near the lunar South Pole, a region coveted for its possible ice reserves, useful for producing drinking water, oxygen and fuel for future operations.

Despite the setback, NASA maintains confidence in its main partner for this stage of the program. The expectation is that the New Glenn will fly again before the end of the year. Jared Isaacman highlighted the speed with which the company responded to the explosion and assured that the investigation is progressing with good results, which keeps the objective of resuming the planned plan open.

The agency, however, also prepares contingency plans. If New Glenn or its launch pad are not operational within the expected time frame, the Blue Moon module will not necessarily be grounded. Carlos García-Galán confirmed that NASA is already evaluating alternative vehicles to keep the schedule as close as possible to the set objectives.

In the midst of the World Cup climate, the presentation also left an unexpected fact. Yes United States win the world cupNASA will send an official ball to the Moon aboard a robotic mission. “It’s quite light and I think we will be able to accommodate it without problems; it all depends on the men’s team,” Carlos García-Galán joked.