Overview
- NASA, which announced the pivot Tuesday, will pause the planned Gateway lunar station and put about $20 billion over seven years into a permanent base on the surface.
- The next step is the Artemis II crewed lunar flyby in early April, with Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen set to validate deep‑space systems before surface missions.
- The plan targets a crewed landing in 2028, with near‑monthly robotic deliveries starting in 2027 and roughly six‑month crewed landings from 2029 at the south pole, chosen for water ice that can provide oxygen, water and fuel.
- NASA will reuse applicable Gateway hardware and work with SpaceX, Blue Origin, Lockheed Martin and international agencies like ESA and JAXA, with new industry solicitations coming in the days ahead as contracts are realigned.
- The agency also unveiled the SR‑1 Freedom mission to demonstrate nuclear electric propulsion on a flight to Mars before the end of 2028, a step meant to move heavy cargo more efficiently in deep space and enable longer missions.