NASA says "living and working on the moon will become reality" after 2032
American space agency NASA has updated plans for a permanent moon base, with a multi-phased plan culminating in "semi-permanent habitation models".
NASA released the plan on Tuesday, building on a March announcement that scrapped the idea of an orbital space station in favour of the current moon base scheme after the successful Artemis II mission, the first crewed flight to the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.
Location for base chosen
It will be built on the moon's South Pole, which the agency called the "most strategically and scientifically valuable regions on the Moon" over three phases. According to the agency, the South Pole of the moon has more sun exposure, supporting continued solar power.
The first phase of the mission, slotted for 2029, will include robotic scouting and research. During this phase, "four tons of payload" will be delivered to begin work on the base.
The second phase will include "early habitation elements", including solar and nuclear power facilities, and will see as many as 24 landings, as well as the integration of permanent communication arrays.
In 2032, NASA will begin to send people to this base for phase three.
Living on the moon
"This phase will scale operations to achieve a true enduring presence, with routine crew rotations and continuous surface activity," said NASA.
"This is when living and working on the Moon becomes a reality."
Here, "semi-permanent habitation modules" will allow for constant research on the surface, looking at ice fields and asteroid impact sites.
Spanish NASA administrator Carlos García-Galán will serve as program executive for the Moon Base programme.
The agency said that it will rely on international and commercial partners to develop the capabilities for the ambitious plans.
"NASA's Moon Base strategy is built on commercial and international participation at an unprecedented scale, combining the strengths of government, private innovation, and global collaboration," said the agency.
"From early demonstrations to long-term surface operations, Moon Base build-up will offer multiple entry points for industry and international partners to participate, innovate, and contribute."
Currently, several requests for information (RFIs) and requests for proposals (RFPs) have been put out by NASA towards the operations.
In the past, members of the architecture and design industry have worked closely with NASA. Danish architecture studio BIG designed a hard drive for Space X, while British architecture studio Foster + Partners has designed towers with solar panels for powering future space stations.
The imagery is courtesy of NASA.
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