NASA Unveils Moon Base Plan With SpaceX at the Center

BOCA CHICA, Texas — NASA on May 27, 2026 released its most detailed Moon Base plan to date, describing a permanent outpost near the lunar south pole built across multiple phases over the coming decade — and SpaceX is the only American company currently under contract to land astronauts there.

Three Missions Before Year-End

NASA's Moon Base architecture is structured around three near-term uncrewed missions, all targeting launch before the end of 2026. Moon Base I will use Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 1 lander to deliver scientific instruments to Shackleton Connecting Ridge — the same region targeted for crewed Artemis landings. Moon Base II will send Astrobotic's Griffin lander carrying over 1,100 pounds of cargo, including Astrolab's FLIP rover, to begin building mobility systems on the surface. Moon Base III will deploy ESA and Korean science payloads aboard Intuitive Machines' Nova-C Trinity lander to study lunar swirls near the south pole.

Rovers, Drones, and Infrastructure

NASA awarded Astrolab $219 million and Lunar Outpost $220 million to develop the first phase of Lunar Terrain Vehicles, both targeted for surface deployment by 2028. Astrolab's crewed rover weighs roughly 2,000 pounds and can exceed 6 mph. Lunar Outpost's Pegasus rover operates autonomously or via remote control at over 9 mph.

Blue Origin received a separate $188 million award — with an option worth $280.4 million — to deliver cargo landers capable of transporting the rovers to the surface. NASA also confirmed that Firefly Aerospace will build the MoonFall spacecraft, which will deploy four survey drones to scout Artemis landing sites ahead of crewed missions, with a 2028 launch target.

SpaceX at the Core

SpaceX holds the NASA Human Landing System contract for the Starship-derived lander that will carry Artemis astronauts to the surface, currently targeting Artemis IV in 2028. Before that mission can proceed, SpaceX must demonstrate large-scale on-orbit propellant transfer — a process requiring multiple Starship tanker launches to fuel a single crewed mission.

The water ice present at the lunar south pole is central to the base's long-term sustainability, as it can be converted into drinking water, breathable oxygen, and rocket propellant. That resource loop becomes far more practical if Starship can eventually be fueled on or near the Moon itself.

Starship V3, which completed its first test flight just days ago on May 22, is the vehicle Musk has said should be capable of supporting initial Mars missions. The Moon Base roadmap sits directly between Starship's current test program and that longer-term Mars ambition — and SpaceX is the only American company contracted to bridge the two.