Nasa Accelerates Lunar Mission Plans
NASA officials reaffirmed their commitment to hasten the testing and development of essential hardware for upcoming human missions to the moon during a recent event on Saturday.
According to NASA’s chief, Jared Isaacman, the agency aims to have rovers and necessary infrastructure in place to welcome human crews upon their arrival. He emphasized the importance of these missions for understanding an environment that has remained largely unexplored for decades. “Each piece of equipment we learn to operate there brings that enduring presence a little bit closer to reality,” Isaacman noted.
Upcoming Lunar Initiatives
A significant recent announcement includes plans to deploy the PROMISE (Polar Rover for Observation, Mapping, and In-Situ Exploration) rover. This rover, modeled on Mars rovers Perseverance and Curiosity, is scheduled to launch aboard a Blue Origin lander in late 2028, embarking on an 18-month primary mission.
“As the United States prepares to send humans back to the moon and onward to Mars, NASA Science is diligently working on providing an ultimate interplanetary survival guide,” stated Nicky Fox, NASA’s associate administrator for science.
NASA aims to establish a permanent human presence on the moon within the next decade. The Artemis missions are the initial steps toward this goal, with the first of these missions set to return humans to the lunar surface as early as 2028. Earlier this year, four astronauts embarked on a journey around the moon as part of Artemis II, reaching farther into space than any humans before them.
The upcoming Artemis III mission, planned for early 2027, intends to test two human lander prototypes: Blue Origin’s Blue Moon and an iteration of SpaceX’s Starship. Both spacecraft have yet to prove their viability, which has raised concerns from NASA’s Office of Inspector General regarding potential challenges to the agency’s lunar aspirations. Artemis IV is expected to mark the first human landing on the moon in over fifty years in 2028.
Transformative Lunar Strategy
At the same event, Carlos García-Galán, Moon Base Program manager, highlighted a strategic shift in NASA’s approach. The focus has transitioned to viewing moon missions as a comprehensive campaign, encompassing landers, rovers, scientific instruments, and infrastructure.
“From 2019 to the end of this year, we will have 22 task orders for landers destined for the moon,” stated García-Galán. These initiatives are integral to the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. Additionally, six new task orders under the Venture Class Acquisition and Dedicated Rideshare Land Services (VADER) program have been awarded, including contracts for an orbital transfer vehicle and communication satellites, essential for establishing navigation and communication frameworks on the lunar surface.
Moreover, plans are in place to utilize a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket to deploy “MoonFall” drones near the lunar surface. These drones are designed to traverse the moon’s south pole, gathering critical data prior to manned missions to this relatively unexplored region.
Looking ahead, NASA may also employ Blue Origin’s Blue Ring spacecraft to enhance lunar communication capabilities, although this project remains in development. SpaceX’s Starlink is also expected to play a role in testing advanced communication technologies, potentially transitioning into a commercial service contract for future lunar habitats.
García-Galán also introduced a new phase for the CLPS program dubbed “CLPS 2.0.” This initiative will call for next-generation landers designed to meet the increased demands of lunar missions, capable of carrying heavier loads of up to six metric tons. Companies involved in this endeavor include Blue Origin, Lockheed Martin, SpaceX, Voyager, Intuitive Machines, Northrop Grumman, and ispace US.
“The enhanced scientific capabilities at the Moon Base will go beyond the quantity of payloads we deploy; it will also focus on their quality,” stated Fox. She emphasized the significance of these scientific operations, including the PROMISE rover, to ensure that human life can be sustained and thrive on the moon. The PROMISE mission will be spearheaded by project scientist James Keane from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The rover will be equipped with a drill and various instruments aimed at analyzing the lunar regolith and radiation, as well as observing the moon’s surface in a manner analogous to the Mars rovers.
“This mission will act as a precursor to Moon Base operations while prospecting for resources near the lunar south pole,” concluded Fox. “PROMISE is merely the beginning as we advance into a new era of groundbreaking science and human exploration.”
This story is developing and updates will follow.
Chief Editor of Quincy City Beat — Quincy, MA's independent investigative newspaper covering Greater Boston and the entire Commonwealth of Massachusetts with fearless public accountability and free access for all readers.
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