NASA unveils a revised plan to build a lunar base near the Moon’s south pole, reallocating resources from the canceled Gateway orbital station to fund the surface settlement.

The plan calls for a $30-billion investment to establish a permanent human Moon base at the south pole by 2036, with dozens of launches to the Moon over the next decade and a shift away from the Orbiting Gateway concept.

Work on the Gateway space station is paused as its resources are redirected to the lunar surface base, signaling a major shift in U.S. lunar architecture.

The rollout includes accelerating Artemis milestones, testing Orion docks and lunar landers through SpaceX and Blue Origin, and potentially using Starship or other rockets for future lunar landings.

China aims to land astronauts on the Moon by 2030, with expectations that Beijing could beat the U.S. by months depending on developments.

The new plan emphasizes increasing mission cadence, with up to 30 uncrewed landings in 2027 and crewed surface missions roughly every six months after Artemis 5 as capabilities mature.

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The total investment for the lunar base is about $20 billion over seven years, relying on commercial partners through CLPS and international collaboration.

The base program is structured in three phases: robotic missions and tests, semi-habitable infrastructure and transportation, then a long-term human presence.

The plan includes habitat modules, power and communications infrastructure, and contemplates private-sector involvement for a commercial orbiting station as a successor to the ISS.

NASA’s overarching goal remains an enduring American presence on the Moon to enable future Mars missions and maintain space leadership amid China’s competition.

Artemis aims for a human Moon landing no earlier than 2028 (Artemis 4), with Artemis 2 as a crewed lunar flyby as early as 2026 and Artemis 3 in 2027 to dock with lunar landers in lunar orbit.