July 1, 2026
NASA rolls out three robotic moon missions as 2029 lunar base plans take shape
edited by Andrew Zinin
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NASA on Tuesday announced new uncrewed missions to aid in the future creation of a lunar surface base, a project beginning to take shape despite recent setbacks.
Three U.S. companies were awarded contracts for missions to deliver cargo, including scientific instruments, to the moon, NASA said. The agency will pay nearly $600 million for the projects, which supplement others announced in May.
The efforts are part of plans to use robotic vehicles to build infrastructure that future human explorers to the moon could eventually use.
The announcement comes as the U.S. space agency's lunar ambitions have faced setbacks following the spectacular explosion this spring of the New Glenn rocket, which is built by tech billionaire Jeff Bezos' company Blue Origin.
Senior agency officials have acknowledged that the situation would likely cause lunar program delays but voiced optimism Tuesday, also indicating there were alternatives to launch a lander carrying equipment developed by Blue Origin.
"We're working with Blue Origin very closely to understand their timelines to recovery and also looking at other options in case it doesn't meet our timeline," said Carlos Garcia-Galan, NASA program manager for the moon base, during an event with journalists Tuesday.
After spending years creating a lunar orbital space station known as Gateway, NASA overhauled its plans in March, saying it would now focus on creating a base for surface operations.
The agency pledged $20 billion to the moon base efforts.
The base is planned for a site near the lunar south pole, a strategic area because of the presence of water ice in the soil. NASA had previously said construction could begin in 2029.
Conceived to compete with China—which also aims to send humans to the moon and establish a base there—NASA's ambitious plan remains vague in several aspects.
But the U.S. agency has started to roll out its vision, which includes lunar landers, lunar rovers and drones designed to survey the terrain and subsequently build up infrastructure, including a power grid and pressurized habitats.
The agency on Tuesday floated the possibility of repurposing a Mars rover as part of the efforts it is aiming to complete in a tight time frame.
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Citation: NASA rolls out three robotic moon missions as 2029 lunar base plans take shape (2026, July 1) retrieved 1 July 2026 from https://phys.org/news/2026-07-nasa-robotic-moon-missions-lunar.htmlThis document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
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