NASA Changes Lunar Flight Plan: No Space Station, Where $20 Billion Will Be Spent

Photo: NASA

The American space agency has announced significant changes to the Artemis lunar program. The head of NASA presented the plan for lunar exploration in the coming years.

During a press conference held on March 24, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced that the strategy for lunar exploration has changed. NASA will not be building the Gateway space station near the Moon for now, and all efforts will be focused on constructing the first U.S. base on the surface of the Earth's satellite. The landing of astronauts on the Moon is not canceled and is expected to take place according to the previously approved plan, writes Focus.

Jared Isaacman stated that NASA aims to land astronauts on the Moon's surface by the end of 2028 and to build a lunar base in the early 2030s. The construction of the base, which will occur in three phases, is expected to cost approximately $20 billion. These changes in the Artemis lunar program mean that NASA is currently abandoning the construction of the Gateway space station in orbit around the Moon. It was supposed to serve as a way station for astronauts traveling to and returning from the Moon to Earth. Isaacman noted that an orbital station near the Moon may still be built, but in the next decade.

Now all of NASA's attention, aside from crewed flights to the Moon, will be focused on building the first U.S. base on the Earth's satellite. It is expected to be constructed in three phases from 2028 to 2036. According to the plan, astronauts will be able to live at this base not for just a few days, but for several months.

In the first phase from 2028 to 2031, unmanned landing modules will be sent to the Moon to test new technologies necessary for the operation of the lunar base. In particular, systems for energy generation, communication, and navigation will be tested.

In the second phase from 2031 to 2033, living modules are expected to be built, where astronauts will be able to stay for a relatively short time.

In the third phase from 2033 to 2036, NASA plans to build permanent infrastructure on the Moon, which will include living modules for long-term stays of astronauts, powerful energy sources, including nuclear power plants, landing pads, and permanent communication and navigation systems. Thus, the construction of the first American base on the Moon should be completed in 10 years.

The starting point for NASA's new plan is the scheduled launch of the Artemis-2 mission on April 1, during which astronauts will find themselves near the Moon for the first time in over 50 years. Four astronauts will undertake a 10-day flight around the Moon and then return home.

In 2027, NASA has planned the launch of the Artemis-3 mission when astronauts will test one of the two modules being developed for the lunar landing in space. And in 2028, the long-awaited return of NASA astronauts to the Moon's surface is expected for the first time since 1972. This will be the Artemis-4 mission.