NASA has announced a new tranche of ambitious plans to create a Moon base, to secure sustained human presence and send rovers and other robotic spacecraft to the lunar surface.
During a Moon Base event at NASA’s Headquarters in Washington on 26 May 2026, the US space agency revealed new contracts for crewed lunar rovers and uncrewed cargo landers.
NASA also announced target launch timeframes for the first Moon Base infrastructure and exploration missions to the Moon's South Pole region.
More on the new space race
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the Moon Base would be "America’s and humanity’s first outpost on another celestial world.
"Every mission, crewed and uncrewed, will be a learning opportunity as we return to the lunar surface, build the infrastructure to stay and master the skills required to live and operate in one of the most demanding and dangerous environments imaginable," he said.
NASA's first three Moon base missions scheduled for 2026
At the event, NASA outlined its first three Moon Base missions, which are part of over a dozen missions the space agency says it will announce in 2026.
That includes include data-gathering missions to inform future crewed Artemis landings on the lunar surface.
Moon Base I
Targeted for launch no earlier than autumn/fall 2026, the first Moon Base mission will see Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 Endurance lander deliver payloads to the Shackleton Connecting Ridge at the lunar south pole.
The payload includes the Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies instrument, which will observe how rocket thrusters interact with the Moon's surface.
And the Laser Retroreflective Array will help orbiting spacecraft determine locations on the Moon using reflected laser light.
NASA says this mission aims to "demonstrate capabilities that reduce risk for future crewed Artemis landing missions in 2028."
Moon Base II
Planned for launch later in 2026, the second Moon Base mission will deliver over 1,100 pounds (500kg) of cargo using the Griffin lander built by private space tech company Astrobotic.
Cargo includes the FLIP rover from tech company Astrolab, which NASA says will be used as part of research into the development of future lunar terrain vehicles – in other words, 'moon buggies' – that astronauts can use to move around on the Moon's surface.
Moon Base III
Also targeted for 2026, the third mission will fly the first payload selected through NASA’s Payloads and Research Investigations on the Surface of the Moon initiative.
Lunar Vertex, a joint lander and rover, will fly on Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C Trinity lander. Its purpose is to study light spots on the surface of the Moon – known as 'lunar swirls' – to better understand how the Moon's surface changes with time.
This mission will include participation and payloads from the European Space Agency and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute.
A new generation of Moon buggies
One of the most exciting developments to come from the May 2026 announcement is the award of contracts to develop Lunar Terrain Vehicles, or Moon buggies.
NASA has awarded companies Astrolab and Lunar Outpost $219 million and $220 million, respectively, to build and deliver the first phase of Lunar Terrain Vehicles.
Astrolab’s Crewed Lunar Vehicle is a rover is designed to transport astronauts, carry supplies and support remote operations.
It features a "compact stowed configuration" – which means it can be folded and stowed to reduce storage space – and can reach speeds of over 6mph on level terrain
Lunar Outpost’s Pegasus is the other crewed rover and is capable of manual, autonomous or tele-operated control. It can reach speeds over 9mph.
NASA also revealed it has awarded private space firm Blue Origin the contracts to transport these rovers to the Moon’s South Pole.
MoonFall drone mission updates
NASA also announced updates to the MoonFall mission, targeted for launch in 2028, that will send four drones to the Moon.
Their mission will be to study potential landing sites for future crewed Artemis missions by flying "short hops" on the lunar surface.
"The drones will independently land on the lunar surface and then gather high-resolution imagery of hard-to-reach terrain over the course of a single lunar day," NASA says.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has been developing the design and testing prototype hardware, and space tech firm Firefly Aerospace has been selected to build the spacecraft that will transport the drones to the Moon.
A future on the Moon and Mars?
Underlining these announcements was a reiteration by NASA of their intentions to created a sustained human presence on the Moon and also to prepare for missions to Mars.
NASA says "a sustained lunar presence is aligned with the agency’s broader exploration strategy, supported by increased launch cadence, expanded industry partnerships and agencywide coordination."
The space agency has called this the "Golden Age of innovation and exploration", with upcoming missions intended to build the experience and technology required to explore more of the Moon and eventually send the first humans to Mars.
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