NASA’s permanent Moon base plans start with three missions this year | The VergeSkip to main contentThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.The VergeThe Verge logo.TechReviewsScienceEntertainmentAIPolicyNotificationsNotificationsHamburger Navigation ButtonThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.NotificationsNotificationsHamburger Navigation ButtonNavigation DrawerThe VergeThe Verge logo.Login / Sign UpcloseCloseSearchTechExpandAmazonAppleFacebookGoogleMicrosoftSamsungBusinessSee all techReviewsExpandSmart Home ReviewsPhone ReviewsTablet ReviewsHeadphone ReviewsSee all reviewsScienceExpandSpaceEnergyEnvironmentHealthSee all scienceEntertainmentExpandTV ShowsMoviesAudioSee all entertainmentAIExpandOpenAIAnthropicSee all AIPolicyExpandAntitrustPoliticsLawSecuritySee all policyGadgetsExpandLaptopsPhonesTVsHeadphonesSpeakersWearablesSee all gadgetsVerge ShoppingExpandBuying GuidesDealsGift GuidesSee all shoppingGamingExpandXboxPlayStationNintendoSee all gamingStreamingExpandDisneyHBONetflixYouTubeCreatorsSee all streamingTransportationExpandElectric CarsAutonomous CarsRide-sharingScootersSee all transportationFeaturesVerge VideoExpandTikTokYouTubeInstagramPodcastsExpandDecoderThe VergecastVersion HistoryNewslettersArchivesStoreVerge Product UpdatesSubscribeFacebookThreadsInstagramYoutubeRSSThe VergeThe Verge logo.NASA’s permanent Moon base plans start with three missions this yearNotificationsNotificationsComments DrawerNotificationsCommentsLoading commentsGetting the conversation ready...ScienceCloseSciencePosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All ScienceNewsCloseNewsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All NewsSpaceCloseSpacePosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All SpaceNASA’s permanent Moon base plans start with three missions this yearNASA’s first three Moon Base missions are part of preparations for a crewed landing in 2028.NASA’s first three Moon Base missions are part of preparations for a crewed landing in 2028.by Stevie BonifieldCloseStevie BonifieldNews WriterPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Stevie BonifieldMay 26, 2026, 10:24 PM UTCLinkShareGiftStevie BonifieldCloseStevie BonifieldPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Stevie Bonifield is a news writer covering all things consumer tech. Stevie started out at Laptop Mag writing news and reviews on hardware, gaming, and AI.On Tuesday, NASA announced several upcoming lunar missions to the Moon’s South Pole region. These missions will pave the way for the crewed Artemis landing slated for 2028, starting with three Moon Base missions NASA says are “the first of more than a dozen missions that will be announced this year.”Moon Base I, launching “no earlier than fall 2026,” will use Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 Endurance lander to bring NASA payloads to the Moon, including the Stereo Camera for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies instrument and the Laser Retroreflective Array. NASA will use these “to study how thrusters interact with the Moon’s surface” and help “orbiting spacecraft determine a more precise location using reflected laser light.”Moon Base II, launching “later this year,” will “deliver more than 1,100 pounds of cargo on Astrobotic’s Griffin lander, including Astrolab’s FLIP rover,” helping to “inform future lunar terrain vehicle, or LTV, operations.” LTVs include the new rovers astronauts will use on the Moon (more on those below). Moon Base III, “also targeted for this year,” will take a few payloads to the Moon for NASA, as well as the ESA and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute. The main payload is Lunar Vertex, which will “fly on Intuitive Machine’s Nova-C Trinity lunar lander and study lunar swirls, or light spots on the surface of the Moon, to improve understanding of surface evolution and material behavior under extreme conditions.”Image: NASAIn addition to the Moon Base missions, NASA shared a few other mission updates:NASA awarded $219 million to Astrolab and $220 million to Lunar Outpost to make two new Moon rovers. It also awarded $188 million to Blue Origin to deliver the rovers to the Moon. Astrolab’s Crewed Lunar Vehicle, or CLV-1, is a “crewed rover designed to transport astronauts, carry supplies, and support remote operations.” Lunar Outpost’s Pegasus rover “is a lighter, mission‑ready evolution of its Eagle rover” that supports manual, autonomous, and remote driving. Image: NASANASA says Astrolab and Lunar Outpost will “finalize rover designs, conduct crewed evaluations, and qualify flight units for operational readiness” over the next 18 months. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has selected Firefly Aerospace to make the spacecraft that will take its four MoonFall drones to the Moon, with launch planned for 2028. After landing on the Moon, the drones will “gather high-resolution imagery of hard-to-reach terrain over the course of a single lunar day” and operate a “survive-the-night payload” for several months afterward.Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Stevie BonifieldCloseStevie BonifieldNews WriterPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Stevie BonifieldNASACloseNASAPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All NASANewsCloseNewsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All NewsScienceCloseSciencePosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All ScienceSpaceCloseSpacePosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All SpaceMost PopularMost PopularFerrari reveals its first EV, with design help from Jony IveSennheiser’s new Momentum 5 headphones have upgraded ANC and a replaceable batteryUber president says AI spending is getting ‘harder to justify’Jony Ive’s Ferrari looks nothing like a FerrariTHE PEOPLE DO NOT YEARN FOR AUTOMATIONVideoThe Verge DailyA free daily digest of the news that matters most.Email (required)Sign UpBy submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. 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NASA is initiating preparations for a crewed landing in 2028 through the execution of several planned Moon Base missions this year, which represent the initial phase of more than a dozen missions slated for the year. The first set of these missions focuses on establishing foundational science and logistical capabilities on the Moon’s South Pole region. Moon Base I is scheduled for launch no earlier than the fall of 2026. This mission will utilize Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 Endurance lander to deliver instruments such as the Stereo Camera for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies and the Laser Retroreflective Array, designed to investigate how thrusters interact with the lunar surface and enable orbiting spacecraft to determine more precise locations using reflected laser light. Subsequently, Moon Base II, planned for later in the year, will carry over 1,100 pounds of cargo via Astrobotic’s Griffin lander, including the Astrolab’s FLIP rover, with the objective of informing future lunar terrain vehicle operations. These future lunar terrain vehicles are anticipated to be used by astronauts. Moon Base III is also targeted for this year, tasked with delivering payloads to NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute. A key payload for this mission is Lunar Vertex, which will be flown on Intuitive Machine’s Nova-C Trinity lunar lander to study lunar swirls and surface features, aiming to improve the understanding of surface evolution and material behavior under extreme conditions.

Beyond the primary Moon Base missions, NASA has pursued parallel developments concerning lunar exploration hardware and infrastructure. The agency awarded $219 million to Astrolab and $220 million to Lunar Outpost to develop two distinct lunar rovers. Furthermore, $188 million was allocated to Blue Origin to facilitate the delivery of these rovers to the Moon. Astrolab’s Crewed Lunar Vehicle, or CLV-1, is designed to serve as a vehicle capable of transporting astronauts and carrying necessary supplies while supporting remote operations. In parallel, Lunar Outpost developed the Pegasus rover, which represents a lighter, mission-ready evolution of its previous Eagle rover, offering enhanced capabilities for manual, autonomous, and remote driving. NASA expects Astrolab and Lunar Outpost to complete the design finalization, conduct crewed evaluations, and qualify these flight units for operational readiness over the next eighteen months. Additionally, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory has selected Firefly Aerospace to construct the spacecraft intended to carry the four MoonFall drones to the Moon, with a launch planned for 2028. These drones are designed to gather high-resolution imagery of difficult terrain over a single lunar day and possess a payload capacity that allows them to operate for several months after landing.