Overview
- NASA announced the change at a Washington press briefing late Tuesday, saying the agency will de‑emphasize the Lunar Gateway and focus on building a sustained human presence on the Moon’s south pole.
- The plan lays out a three‑phase buildout that requires about 81 launches across the late 2020s and early 2030s, with an initial set of uncrewed missions slated this year and crewed, sustained habitation targeted in the early 2030s.
- Robotic scouts, hopping drones and autonomous construction systems will prepare landing sites, deploy energy and move cargo before astronauts arrive, with initial scout drones planned for around 2028.
- NASA disclosed multi‑hundred‑million‑dollar awards to commercial partners, naming Lunar Outpost, Astrolab, Blue Origin and Firefly for rovers, landers, drone delivery and surface vehicles while SpaceX remains a primary candidate for crewed landings.
- Officials framed the acceleration as partly driven by competition with China and Russia and said the south‑pole base would advance science, open access to water ice for life support and fuel production, and serve as a stepping stone for Mars missions.