NASA Officially Launches Lunar Base Project

The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has declared an official recommitment to building a lunar base, signaling its intent to establish a permanent human presence on the Moon beyond mere past explorations. Since announcing the lunar base construction plan in March 2026, NASA has been moving swiftly to turn this ambitious vision into reality.

For this project, NASA has selected key private partners including Blue Origin and Astrolab, and has also formed partnerships with Astrobotic, Firefly, and Intuitive Machines to enhance its capabilities for lunar base construction.

Phase 1 of NASA's lunar base construction project sets reaching the Moon stably by 2028 as its core objective. During this phase, essential infrastructure for lunar landing and surface exploration will be built, and new technologies will be experimented with to lay the groundwork for future base operations.

This phase will run from 2026 to 2028, during which NASA will test and strengthen its technological and operational capabilities for sustainable activities on the Moon. This will be a crucial foundation for long-term lunar habitation plans.

To achieve this, it plans to launch robotic landers and rovers to the lunar surface to begin constructing a permanent habitat.

The ultimate purpose of this return to the Moon is not merely a short-term visit as in the past, but to establish a foundation for humanity to reside continuously on the Moon. NASA expects this to expand the scope of human space exploration and create opportunities for new scientific discoveries.