US moon base plans revealed for what Nasa chief calls ‘the grand return’

US space agency Nasa has unveiled far-reaching plans for its first moon base that could see people living and working on the lunar surface within six years. Located at the moon’s south pole, the outpost, which eventually may have sites spread out over hundreds of square kilometres, would be established in a phased approach, which builds capability over time. The pioneering development was designed to help unlock new scientific discoveries and develop the technologies needed for future deep space missions, including to Mars. The move follows the record-breaking fly-by of the moon by the Artemis II crew in April, which marked a crucial stepping stone towards a future landing. It also comes amid an intensifying race with China, which was aiming for a crewed lunar landing of its own in 2030. America’s initial phase towards building a base between now and 2029 would see robotic missions scout the lunar region, test technologies and prepare for surface operations. This includes plans to deploy drones to help explore and map the challenging terrain as well as remote and crewed lunar vehicles, designed to carry out tasks in the demanding environment. Outlining this initial phase at a Washington press conference, the space agency confirmed it has awarded hundreds of millions of dollars in commercial contracts to four US aerospace companies to procure an advance hardware fleet. Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin would provide a pair of landers to deliver moon buggies to the lunar surface, at a spot near the moon’s south pole. These so-called lunar terrain vehicles would be built by Astrolab and Lunar Outpost. Firefly Aerospace, which landed successfully on the moon last year, would deliver the first drones to the moon. All this hardware was ideally supposed to arrive before the first Artemis astronauts land on the moon. The moon base’s second phase, from 2029 into the early 2030s, would start building up the permanent infrastructure, including a power grid. As for when the base would be ready to support astronauts for extended periods in specialised permanent habitats, that was expected sometime in the 2030s, during the third phase. The three stages would involve multiple launches and landings. The lunar South Pole was chosen as the location for the base as it was considered one of the most strategically and scientifically important regions on the moon, and well suited for long-term human exploration. Unlike many parts of the moon that experience long periods of darkness followed by long periods of daylight, the area receives extended sunlight and shorter periods of shadow. These lighting conditions provide for more consistent solar power generation and stable temperatures for exploration systems and surface operations. Unveiling the plans, Nasa chief Jared Isaacman said the American public was excited about a moon base and “the grand return” to the lunar surface. He said: “It means people are looking up again, believing in big things again, and paying attention as America returns to the moon again, and this time to stay”. Isaacman added: “We are leveraging the Nasa playbook from the 1960s figuring out what works and what doesn’t in this epic science of survival. Because the moon base is as beautiful as it is hostile”. He pointed out that, in sunlight, the moon’s surface could heat to more than 121 degrees Celsius, while in darkness it could fall well below minus 128 degrees. In permanently shaded craters, untouched by sunlight for perhaps billions of years, temperatures can fall well below minus 240 degrees. Isaacman said: “There is no atmosphere to moderate these extremes, no protection from radiation and solar particle events and the surface is exposed to meteorite impacts”. He went on: “Recognising this reality, I’m often asked why we send our astronauts into such a harsh and dangerous and unforgiving environment of space or the lunar surface and at such great cost. “We go for the technology we will pioneer to get there, the science and all that we will learn that will make life better here on Earth, to advance humankind on this great adventure, to inspire the next generation to do it better than we can and, to be very clear, to master the skills for where we will inevitably go next.” Dr Lori Glaze of Nasa’s exploration systems development mission directorate, said: “The incredible success of the Artemis II mission has taken Nasa from proving what is possible to making the extraordinary routine. “Just last month, humanity returned to deep space. Artemis II is not only a historic journey, it was a comprehensive test of Nasa’s capabilities as we push farther from Earth.” Carlos Garcia-Galan, moon base programme executive, said: “We envision the moon base to be hundreds of square miles with different assets all building up to the objective of permanent lunar presence on the moon”. Speaking later during a Q&A, Isaacman said the aspiration was to eventually have “a lot of outposts” on the lunar surface, and caves had also been looked at to provide shelter for astronauts from the harsh environment. On the ambitious plans for a base, he added: “There’s certainly going to be a whole lot of inspiration that is coming out of this for the next generation, but number one, we want to be in an environment where we can learn the skills, so that astronauts can go and plant the stars and stripes on Mars someday”. Additional reporting by Associated Press and Reuters

US moon base plans revealed for what Nasa chief calls ‘the grand return’

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}US space agency outlines multiphase blueprint, awarding contracts for landers, buggies and drones

US space agency outlines multiphase blueprint, awarding contracts for landers, buggies and drones