NASA plans a €17.5bn Moon base, with Blue Origin leading the first mission
NASA has announced plans to build a base at the Moon’s south pole by 2032, with infrastructure planned from 2029. Blue Origin’s Endurance lander is expected to carry scientific payloads to the south pole as early as this autumn; NASA says the wider project will be funded mostly by private companies.
Bottom line — NASA plans to begin building south-pole infrastructure by 2029, ahead of its targeted 2032 base.
Go deeper 7
-
NASA’s overall plan is valued at $20bn (€17.5bn), according to Donga Science.
-
NASA will pay Blue Origin $230.4m (€201.6m) for each of its first two missions, Donga Science reports.
-
NASA has separately awarded Blue Origin a contract worth at least $188m (€164.5m) to transport equipment, including lunar exploration vehicles.
-
Astrolab and Lunar Outpost have contracts worth $219m (€191.6m) and $220m (€192.5m), respectively, to develop lunar vehicles.
-
Donga Science reports that Firefly Aerospace will receive $75m (€65.6m) to deliver a spacecraft carrying a NASA drone to the Moon in 2028.
-
NASA intends the base to support long-duration astronaut stays and experiments, and ultimately serve as a staging point for Mars exploration.
-
NASA plans to assess Blue Origin’s and SpaceX’s lunar landers during an Artemis III low-orbit test next year, then select a contractor for the crewed Artemis IV landing planned for 2028.