Tracking NASA's South-Pole Lunar Base Program
Moon Base is NASA's phased plan for a base at the lunar south pole, unveiled at the agency's Ignition event on March 24, 2026. The executive order behind it targets initial elements of a permanent outpost by 2030; NASA's phase plan puts long-duration human presence in 2033 and beyond. Track milestones, contracts, companies, and infrastructure.
How does it compare with China's programme? See the US vs China Race to the Moon tracker →
Expanding CLPS deliveries, deploying terrain vehicles, conducting technology demonstrations, and preparing for the first crewed lunar landing. No CLPS landing has happened yet in 2026; Griffin-1 is the only lunar launch NASA expects this year.
Orion docks with Blue Moon Mark 2 and Starship HLS pathfinders in Earth orbit
NASA presented a phased Moon Base at the lunar south pole, about $20 billion over seven years as reported from the presentation (Planetary Society), plus up to 30 robotic CLPS landings starting in 2027 (roughly $6 billion over a decade). The same day it paused the Gateway lunar-orbit station.
First crewed mission around the Moon since Apollo 17. Wiseman, Glover, Koch and Hansen (CSA) set the human distance record, 252,756 miles from Earth, on Apr 6 and splashed down off San Diego at 8:07 pm EDT on Apr 10 (00:07 UTC Apr 11) (NASA).
Lunar terrain vehicles from Astrolab (CLV-1, $219M) and Lunar Outpost (Pegasus, $220M), both to be delivered by 2028 on Blue Origin landers; four MoonFall scouting drones built by Firefly for 2028 (NASA).
The only lunar launch NASA expects in 2026, targeting Mons Mouton near the south pole (NASA Moon Base program manager Carlos García-Galán, Sep 15, 2026).
Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mk1 cargo lander (Moon Base I) slipped from fall 2026 after the May 28 New Glenn pad explosion; Intuitive Machines' IM-3 (Moon Base III) targets Reiner Gamma (NASA, Sep 15, 2026).
Restructured in Feb 2026 from a lunar landing: in low Earth orbit, Orion docks with a Blue Moon Mark 2 pathfinder and a Starship HLS pathfinder. Crew announced Jun 9, 2026; SLS booster stacking and Orion integration under way (NASA).
First crewed landing since Apollo 17 in 1972, near the lunar south pole. NASA has not named the lander: readiness will decide between SpaceX's Starship HLS and Blue Origin's Blue Moon (NASA, Mar 3, 2026).
A nuclear-electric propulsion demonstrator (a fission reactor powering electric thrusters), planned to launch before the end of 2028 and fly past Mars twice. It is reportedly built around Gateway's Power and Propulsion Element. It is not the lunar surface reactor, a separate effort the executive order wants ready for launch by 2030.
NASA anticipates launching Artemis V "by late 2028, and future missions about once per year thereafter" (NASA, Mar 3, 2026).
Surface power and communications, and JAXA's pressurized rover (NASA's Ignition phase plan, as reported by SpaceQ).
Executive Order 14369 (Dec 2025) targets "initial elements of a permanent lunar outpost by 2030" and a lunar surface reactor "ready for launch by 2030".
Italian Space Agency Multi-purpose Habitats and a CSA Lunar Utility Vehicle, enabling long-duration human stays (SpaceQ). NASA has published no date for continuous occupation.
Starship HLS: crew lander; Artemis IV lander to be chosen on readiness
$2.89B (2021) + ≈$1B option (2022)Blue Moon Mk2 crew lander; Mk1 cargo lander (Moon Base I); rover deliveries
$3.4B HLS award (NASA, 2023); OIG: ≈$3.1B excl. cargo landerLunar terrain vehicle CLV-1 (by 2028)
$219MLunar terrain vehicle Pegasus (by 2028)
$220MGriffin-1 (Moon Base II); two further CLPS deliveries awarded Jun 2026
$297.9M (the two Jun 2026 deliveries)IM-3 (Moon Base III) and CLPS deliveries
$148.3M (Jun 2026 award)Blue Ghost CLPS landers; MoonFall drones
$144.2M (Jun 2026 award)Orion spacecraft
HALO: Gateway habitat, paused with Gateway (Mar 2026)
Pressurized rover (Phase 2, 2029-2032)
Orion European Service Module; I-Hab continuing to CDR
Multi-purpose Habitats (Phase 3, 2033+)
Lunar Utility Vehicle (Phase 3); Canadarm3
Phase years and contents as presented at NASA's Ignition event (reported by SpaceQ, March 24, 2026). NASA has not published a per-phase budget.
Expand robotic Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) landings, deploy lunar terrain vehicles, fly technology demonstrations, and land the first Artemis crew.
Power, communications and mobility at the lunar south pole. NASA has said it aims for crewed missions about every six months after Artemis IV and V (as reported by the Planetary Society).
Habitation for long-duration human stays. NASA has published no date for continuous occupation.
At least 100 kWe, launch-ready by early FY2030 (NASA directive, Aug 2025); solar arrays alongside
JAXA-built pressurized rover for long-range crewed traverses (Phase 2)
Astrolab CLV-1 and Lunar Outpost Pegasus, delivered by 2028
Four Firefly-built drones to scout the south pole (2028)
Surface comms in Phase 2; ESA's Moonlight relay service targets initial operations by end-2028
Italian Space Agency habitats for long-duration stays (Phase 3)
Canadian Space Agency surface utility vehicle (Phase 3)
Long-term goal: water ice extraction, oxygen production, and regolith processing
The restructured Artemis III, the Artemis IV landing, the Moon Base phases and the paused Gateway.
10 min readDate, crew, and what the restructured Earth-orbit docking test actually does, from NASA's own statements.
GuideWhat the station was designed to do, and what changed when NASA paused it in March 2026.
7 min readThe April 2026 crewed lunar flyby as it happened, from launch to splashdown.
ArchiveTrack every contract, milestone, and company in NASA's Moon Base program.
Subscribe to NewsletterMoon Base is NASA's phased plan to build a base at the Moon's south pole. NASA unveiled it at its "Ignition" event on March 24, 2026, which is why it is often called Project Ignition, and paused the Lunar Gateway orbital station the same day. It relies on commercial landers and rovers and on partner agencies from Japan, Italy, Canada and Europe.
About $20 billion over seven years, according to reporting on NASA's Ignition presentation (Planetary Society); NASA has not published a line-item budget for it. NASA also plans roughly $6 billion over a decade for up to 30 robotic CLPS landings starting in 2027. The FY2027 budget request proposes redirecting $2.6 billion of Gateway money toward the base; Congress has not yet acted.
There is no official date for continuous occupation. The December 2025 executive order targets "initial elements of a permanent lunar outpost by 2030". NASA's phase plan runs Phase 1 from now to 2028 (robotic landings, terrain vehicles, the Artemis IV landing), Phase 2 from 2029 to 2032 (power, communications, JAXA's pressurized rover) and Phase 3 from 2033 on (Italian Space Agency habitats, a CSA utility vehicle, long-duration human presence).
SpaceX (Starship HLS) and Blue Origin (Blue Moon) are the crew-lander providers; NASA will choose the Artemis IV lander on readiness. Blue Origin's 2023 award was announced at $3.4 billion; NASA's inspector general puts it at about $3.1 billion because that figure excludes the cargo-lander portion. Astrolab ($219M) and Lunar Outpost ($220M) build the lunar terrain vehicles; Astrobotic, Intuitive Machines and Firefly fly CLPS deliveries; Firefly builds the MoonFall drones. Partner agencies: JAXA (pressurized rover), ASI (habitats), CSA (utility vehicle) and ESA.
NASA paused Gateway on March 24, 2026. GAO reports that NASA "plans to pause Gateway in its current form" and "repurpose applicable Gateway hardware". ESA is continuing I-Hab to critical design review, Canadarm3 is pivoting toward surface work, and the Power and Propulsion Element is reportedly being reused for the SR-1 Freedom spacecraft. Congress's $2.6 billion for Gateway has not yet been redirected.
Space Reactor-1 Freedom is a nuclear-electric propulsion demonstrator (a fission reactor powering electric thrusters), planned to launch before the end of 2028 on a trajectory that flies past Mars twice. It is not the lunar surface reactor: NASA's separate fission surface power effort (at least 100 kWe) is to be ready for launch by 2030.
Sources: NASA (Ignition event gallery, Mar 24, 2026; architecture update, Mar 3, 2026; Moon Base update, May 26, 2026; CLPS awards, Jun 30, 2026); Executive Order 14369; NASA Fission Surface Power directive (Aug 4, 2025); NASA OIG IG-26-004; GAO-26-108556; Planetary Society and SpaceQ reporting on the Ignition presentation; Aerospace America (Sep 15, 2026). Figures marked “as reported” have no NASA primary we could read. Fact-checked September 23, 2026.
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