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NASA Charts A Moon Strategy
Rendering of Phase 3 of the Moon base // Courtesy of NASA
NASA announced a roadmap to establish a human-occupied base on the Moon within the next decade.
The Big Bet: Colonizing the Moon has become a modern geopolitical ambition for global superpowers over the past decade, with the US, China, Japan, India, and the European Space Agency all exploring ways to set up a permanent habitat on the lunar surface. Considering that the celestial body is a potential source of minerals needed for a variety of products back on Earth, competition over lunar resources is only beginning.
Behind The Missions: According to The NYT, new NASA chief Jared Isaacman outlined a proposed $30 billion, three-phase plan to establish a human presence on the Moon.
Phase 1: Increasing lunar missions that use robotic landers, rovers, and drones to build infrastructure on the Moon, including communications networks. The agency is looking to bring on at least two more companies to develop the necessary tech.
Phase 2: Creating a “semi-habitable infrastructure” that can be routinely used by visiting astronauts.
Phase 3: Building out a permanent lunar base that will serve as the central hub for Moon missions.
Bonus: NASA is also planning a new mission to Mars. An under-development robotic spacecraft called the SR-1 Freedom would use a small nuclear reactor to reach the red planet faster, deploying three robotic helicopters to scan for frozen water.
Final Details: NASA hasn’t put humans on the Moon since the end of the Apollo program in 1972. While the over-budget Artemis program has aimed to reignite that ambition, it’s been beset by budget overruns and scheduling delays. Isaacman — who has gone on two space missions himself — hopes that publicly announcing a clear and tangible roadmap to “an auditorium full of representatives from aerospace companies, international space agency officials, and members of Congress” creates enough pressure to get feet on the lunar surface once again.
The first attempts will be the Artemis IV and V missions, both currently scheduled for 2028.
Next Launch: With NASA shedding a fifth of its staff last year amid broader federal government downsizing, expect the agency to ramp up hiring to meet its ambitious goals.
Together with Butcherbox
Where Your Meat Comes From Matters
Most of us don’t think too much about where our meat comes from.
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That’s the ethos behind ButcherBox. They source humanely raised chicken, beef, pork, turkey, and seafood — because it’s better for you and your family.
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Today’s email was written by David Vendrell.
Edited by Nick Comney. Polled and Copy-edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.