• Nasa is ordering landers, rovers, and drones for a moon base scheduled for early 2028.
• Contracts have been awarded to four U.S. companies, including Blue Origin and Firefly Aerospace.
• The moon base will support scientific research and future Mars exploration.

Nasa is progressing on plans for a sprawling moon base, with contracts awarded to four U.S. companies to design and deliver essential equipment, including landers, rovers, and drones. This announcement comes less than two months after the agency's Artemis II mission, which was a historic lunar fly-around that engaged four astronauts, enabling deeper space travel compared to past Apollo missions, according to CBS News, South China Morning Post, and NPR.

The first phase of the moon base's infrastructure is set to involve landing equipment for lunar terrain vehicles and drones. Blue Origin will deliver landers for deploying moon buggies, while Firefly Aerospace will supply the initial set of drones, all expected to arrive in time for the first Artemis astronaut landing, targeted for as early as 2028, as noted by CBS News and NPR.

With a timeline aiming for Artemis III in mid-2027 and subsequent landings, NASA is planning for the installation of essential infrastructure, including a power grid, during the base's second phase from 2029 to the early 2030s. The ultimate goal is to establish a permanent habitat on the moon, allowing astronauts to conduct extended missions, as explained by Nasa's moon base program executive, Carlos Garcia-Galan, according to South China Morning Post and NPR.

The envisioned moon base will span hundreds of square miles, with drones placed as territorial markers—referred to as MoonFall—ensuring respectful acknowledgment of international space partners. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman emphasizes that these territory markers are essential for maintaining diplomatic relations with other countries that may also have assets in lunar vicinity, as highlighted by CBS News and South China Morning Post.

Overall, the establishment of a moon base is viewed as a critical step towards fostering a lunar economy, facilitating scientific research, and setting the groundwork for future Mars missions. Isaacman assures that progress is underway, stating, "For those waiting patiently, the grand return is close at hand and we will not slow down," according to NPR.