NASA’s plan for a long-term human presence on the Moon is moving beyond brief astronaut visits, with India now potentially playing a role in the effort. The agency is developing a Moon Base near the lunar South Pole, where Chandrayaan-3 has given India valuable experience. The outpost is envisioned as a place where astronauts can live, conduct research and test technologies for deeper-space missions.<h2>What is the real objective of the Moon Base?</h2>The Moon Base is not simply about putting a permanent building on the lunar surface. It is intended to test whether humans can live and work for extended periods away from Earth, while developing systems for power, transportation, communications, resource extraction and construction.NASA is already working with commercial partners on cargo landers, rovers and other infrastructure, with some lunar deliveries targeted for 2028. The technologies being developed include systems to generate and store power, extract water and oxygen from local resources, and build landing pads and other infrastructure.<h2>Why is the lunar South Pole important?</h2>The lunar South Pole is valuable because some permanently shadowed craters are extremely cold and may preserve water ice and other volatiles. Water could become one of the most important resources for a future settlement – for drinking, life support and potentially producing hydrogen and oxygen for fuel.The region also contains areas that receive relatively prolonged sunlight, creating opportunities for solar power, while nearby shadowed regions could harbour ice. India has already contributed important knowledge about this difficult environment.Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/gaganyaan-the-mission-that-could-change-how-the-world-sees-india-s-space-ambitions-1783690204848">Gaganyaan: The mission that could change how the world sees India’s space ambitions</a><h2>How does Chandrayaan-3 strengthen India’s position?</h2>Chandrayaan-3 gave ISRO something far more valuable than a successful landing: first-hand experience of operating in the lunar South Polar region.Vikram landed on August 23, 2023, and Pragyan conducted in-situ studies of the terrain. Its instruments measured temperature, seismic activity, plasma conditions and the elemental composition of lunar soil. ISRO says the rover travelled about 101 metres.More recently, ChaSTE data have helped scientists understand the thermal behaviour of the polar regolith, information relevant to future habitat and resource planning.<h2>What could ISRO’s role be – and what could India gain?</h2>NASA invited ISRO to join its Moon Base programme during the India-US Civil Space Joint Working Group meeting in Bengaluru on August 5-6. The two sides also agreed to advance discussions on scientific data sharing.India’s exact role has not yet been announced. But ISRO’s experience could make it a useful partner in robotic exploration, lunar science, landing technologies, surface mobility and resource mapping. Participation could also give Indian scientists and industry access to a much larger international lunar programme while strengthening India’s position in the emerging lunar economy.Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/how-russia-ukraine-war-is-reshaping-energy-flows-food-prices-defence-spending-and-india-s-strategy-wion-decodes-1783337395169">How Russia-Ukraine war is reshaping energy flows, food prices, defence spending and India’s strategy | WION Decodes</a><h2>Could the Moon become a resource hub and Mars launchpad?</h2>The Moon could potentially become a resource hub and Mars launchpad – but that remains a long-term possibility, not an immediate reality.If water ice can be extracted economically, it could support life-support systems and produce propellant. Lunar resources could eventually reduce the need to transport everything from Earth. The Moon’s lower gravity could also make it attractive for launching spacecraft deeper into the solar system.That is why NASA describes the Moon Base as more than a destination. It is a test bed for technologies and operations needed for Mars. The lunar South Pole could ultimately become humanity’s first sustained foothold beyond Earth – and India now has an opportunity to help shape what that foothold becomes. &nbsp;

NASA’s Moon Base plan is opening a new chapter in lunar exploration, with India’s Chandrayaan-3 experience giving ISRO a potential role in the race to establish a long-term presence on the Moon.

NASA’s plan for a long-term human presence on the Moon is moving beyond brief astronaut visits, with India now potentially playing a role in the effort. The agency is developing a Moon Base near the lunar South Pole, where Chandrayaan-3 has given India valuable experience. The outpost is envisioned as a place where astronauts can live, conduct research and test technologies for deeper-space missions. What is the real objective of the Moon Base? The Moon Base is not simply about putting a permanent building on the lunar surface. It is intended to test whether humans can live and work for extended periods away from Earth, while developing systems for power, transportation, communications, resource extraction and construction. NASA is already working with commercial partners on cargo landers, rovers and other infrastructure, with some lunar deliveries targeted for 2028. The technologies being developed include systems to generate and store power, extract water and oxygen from local resources, and build landing pads and other infrastructure. Why is the lunar South Pole important? The lunar South Pole is valuable because some permanently shadowed craters are extremely cold and may preserve water ice and other volatiles. Water could become one of the most important resources for a future settlement – for drinking, life support and potentially producing hydrogen and oxygen for fuel. The region also contains areas that receive relatively prolonged sunlight, creating opportunities for solar power, while nearby shadowed regions could harbour ice. India has already contributed important knowledge about this difficult environment. Also read | Gaganyaan: The mission that could change how the world sees India’s space ambitions How does Chandrayaan-3 strengthen India’s position? Chandrayaan-3 gave ISRO something far more valuable than a successful landing: first-hand experience of operating in the lunar South Polar region. Vikram landed on August 23, 2023, and Pragyan conducted in-situ studies of the terrain. Its instruments measured temperature, seismic activity, plasma conditions and the elemental composition of lunar soil. ISRO says the rover travelled about 101 metres. More recently, ChaSTE data have helped scientists understand the thermal behaviour of the polar regolith, information relevant to future habitat and resource planning. What could ISRO’s role be – and what could India gain? NASA invited ISRO to join its Moon Base programme during the India-US Civil Space Joint Working Group meeting in Bengaluru on August 5-6. The two sides also agreed to advance discussions on scientific data sharing. India’s exact role has not yet been announced. But ISRO’s experience could make it a useful partner in robotic exploration, lunar science, landing technologies, surface mobility and resource mapping. Participation could also give Indian scientists and industry access to a much larger international lunar programme while strengthening India’s position in the emerging lunar economy. Also read | How Russia-Ukraine war is reshaping energy flows, food prices, defence spending and India’s strategy | WION Decodes Could the Moon become a resource hub and Mars launchpad? The Moon could potentially become a resource hub and Mars launchpad – but that remains a long-term possibility, not an immediate reality. If water ice can be extracted economically, it could support life-support systems and produce propellant. Lunar resources could eventually reduce the need to transport everything from Earth. The Moon’s lower gravity could also make it attractive for launching spacecraft deeper into the solar system. That is why NASA describes the Moon Base as more than a destination. It is a test bed for technologies and operations needed for Mars. The lunar South Pole could ultimately become humanity’s first sustained foothold beyond Earth – and India now has an opportunity to help shape what that foothold becomes.

NASA’s Moon Base plan is opening a new chapter in lunar exploration, with India’s Chandrayaan-3 experience giving ISRO a potential role in the race to establish a long-term presence on the Moon.

NASA’s Moon Base: How Chandrayaan-3 could give India an edge in the lunar race

America wants to build a base on the Moon, and NASA wants ISRO on board. The reasons are clear. The United States needs to make the next era of lunar exploration bigger, faster and more cost-efficient. India has built its space programme around exactly that formula. Most importantly, it has already shown the world how to reach the Moon for a fraction of the cost.&nbsp;To sum it up in a nutshell, India has got more done, spent less, and above all, got the mission done, making India and ISRO extremely lucrative.&nbsp;NASA's Moon base programme invitation to ISRO is aimed at establishing a lasting human presence near the Moon's south pole by establishing humanity's first outpost. One that could prepare for crewed missions to Mars and drive lunar scientific breakthroughs.&nbsp;The invitation came during the ninth meeting of the India-US Civil Space Joint Working Group in Bengaluru. US Ambassador Sergio Gor called it a step towards deepening the US-India deep-space partnership.&nbsp;And Chandrayaan-3 explains why.&nbsp;In 2023, ISRO landed safely near the lunar south pole, a historic first, with a mission that cost roughly $75 million. Cheaper did not mean smaller. The mission delivered a landmark result and demonstrated the core strength of India's space model: engineering at a frugal cost, fast execution and the ability to turn limited resources into global-scale achievements.&nbsp;And that is exactly the kind of partner NASA perhaps needs now.&nbsp;Because a Moon base is not one mission. NASA envisions a permanent, habitable outpost where astronauts can live, work and conduct scientific research for extended periods. The base would be built through a series of crewed and uncrewed missions, with habitats, power systems, rovers and cargo operations developed over time.&nbsp;China also has a similar lunar ambition, targeting a crewed Moon landing before 2030 and the construction of an International Lunar Research Station at the Moon's south pole, running directly in a competitive space race alongside NASA's Artemis programme.&nbsp;And the development comes at a time when India is also building its first national space station, the Bharatiya Antariksh Station, with the first module planned for launch by 2028 and full completion targeted by 2035.&nbsp;India's maiden human spaceflight is targeted for 2027. And to ensure that Gaganyaan becomes a sustained space exploration mission, ISRO is also reportedly establishing a crew isolation facility and astronaut quarters in Sriharikota, where future astronauts will be trained and equipped for space travel.The location near the lunar south pole is also strategic. Scientists believe permanently shadowed craters there contain water ice, a potential source for life support and even future fuel production. Some elevated areas also receive near-continuous sunlight, making them valuable for solar power.But a permanent presence comes with a permanent bill.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/cm-vijay-makes-tamil-nadu-state-song-mandatory-as-first-song-at-official-events-1786551341394">CM Vijay makes Tamil Nadu State Song mandatory as first song at official events</a>&nbsp;Habitats, power, rovers, cargo, life support, science and crewed flights will all have to work again and again. Every mission will cost money. Every failure will come at a high price.&nbsp;And that is where ISRO's experience becomes a strategic asset.&nbsp;India has shown it can build, launch and operate complex space missions without the budgets of the world's biggest space powers. It has also shown resilience. Chandrayaan-2 ended in partial success in 2019. Four years later, Chandrayaan-3 landed.&nbsp;NASA likely sees ISRO as a partner that brings technological sophistication but also something just as important for a long-term Moon programme: cost discipline and proven success.&nbsp;ISRO could also bring its experience in cost-effective mission design, reliable launch services and lunar science while in return gaining access to advanced expertise in habitats, life-support systems, in-situ resource utilisation and deep-space operations.&nbsp;India's participation would also push ISRO from robotic lunar exploration towards a role in sustained human presence on the Moon.&nbsp;So, the next space race may not be won simply by the country that can spend the most. It could also be won by the countries that can achieve the most with the least.

NASA is looking to partner with ISRO for its planned lunar base, seeing India's cost-effective space missions, Chandrayaan-3 success and growing human spaceflight capabilities as valuable assets for long-term Moon exploration.

America wants to build a base on the Moon, and NASA wants ISRO on board. The reasons are clear. The United States needs to make the next era of lunar exploration bigger, faster and more cost-efficient. India has built its space programme around exactly that formula. Most importantly, it has already shown the world how to reach the Moon for a fraction of the cost. To sum it up in a nutshell, India has got more done, spent less, and above all, got the mission done, making India and ISRO extremely lucrative. NASA's Moon base programme invitation to ISRO is aimed at establishing a lasting human presence near the Moon's south pole by establishing humanity's first outpost. One that could prepare for crewed missions to Mars and drive lunar scientific breakthroughs. The invitation came during the ninth meeting of the India-US Civil Space Joint Working Group in Bengaluru. US Ambassador Sergio Gor called it a step towards deepening the US-India deep-space partnership. And Chandrayaan-3 explains why. In 2023, ISRO landed safely near the lunar south pole, a historic first, with a mission that cost roughly $75 million. Cheaper did not mean smaller. The mission delivered a landmark result and demonstrated the core strength of India's space model: engineering at a frugal cost, fast execution and the ability to turn limited resources into global-scale achievements. And that is exactly the kind of partner NASA perhaps needs now. Because a Moon base is not one mission. NASA envisions a permanent, habitable outpost where astronauts can live, work and conduct scientific research for extended periods. The base would be built through a series of crewed and uncrewed missions, with habitats, power systems, rovers and cargo operations developed over time. China also has a similar lunar ambition, targeting a crewed Moon landing before 2030 and the construction of an International Lunar Research Station at the Moon's south pole, running directly in a competitive space race alongside NASA's Artemis programme. And the development comes at a time when India is also building its first national space station, the Bharatiya Antariksh Station, with the first module planned for launch by 2028 and full completion targeted by 2035. India's maiden human spaceflight is targeted for 2027. And to ensure that Gaganyaan becomes a sustained space exploration mission, ISRO is also reportedly establishing a crew isolation facility and astronaut quarters in Sriharikota, where future astronauts will be trained and equipped for space travel. The location near the lunar south pole is also strategic. Scientists believe permanently shadowed craters there contain water ice, a potential source for life support and even future fuel production. Some elevated areas also receive near-continuous sunlight, making them valuable for solar power. But a permanent presence comes with a permanent bill. Also Read: CM Vijay makes Tamil Nadu State Song mandatory as first song at official events Habitats, power, rovers, cargo, life support, science and crewed flights will all have to work again and again. Every mission will cost money. Every failure will come at a high price. And that is where ISRO's experience becomes a strategic asset. India has shown it can build, launch and operate complex space missions without the budgets of the world's biggest space powers. It has also shown resilience. Chandrayaan-2 ended in partial success in 2019. Four years later, Chandrayaan-3 landed. NASA likely sees ISRO as a partner that brings technological sophistication but also something just as important for a long-term Moon programme: cost discipline and proven success. ISRO could also bring its experience in cost-effective mission design, reliable launch services and lunar science while in return gaining access to advanced expertise in habitats, life-support systems, in-situ resource utilisation and deep-space operations. India's participation would also push ISRO from robotic lunar exploration towards a role in sustained human presence on the Moon. So, the next space race may not be won simply by the country that can spend the most. It could also be won by the countries that can achieve the most with the least.

NASA is looking to partner with ISRO for its planned lunar base, seeing India's cost-effective space missions, Chandrayaan-3's success and growing human spaceflight capabilities as valuable assets for long-term Moon exploration.

Cheap, fast, successful: Why NASA wants ISRO on the Moon

The next era of lunar exploration could see NASA and ISRO working more closely as the United States looks to expand its presence on the Moon.

NASA wants future lunar exploration to become bigger, faster and more cost-efficient, with ambitious plans for a sustained human presence and a potential base on the Moon. India’s space agency ISRO could play an important role in this new phase of lunar exploration.

India has already demonstrated its growing capabilities in lunar missions, making ISRO an increasingly important partner in international space exploration.

From cost-effective technology to successful lunar missions, India’s space programme has attracted global attention. The potential NASA-ISRO partnership could open a new chapter in the race to establish a long-term human presence on the Moon.

Cheap, Fast, Successful: Why NASA Wants Isro on the Moon  | GRAVITAS 

When NASA launched the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite in April 2018, the mission's goal was straightforward: scan the sky for planets orbiting nearby stars by detecting the tiny dips in starlight that occur when a planet passes in front of its host. Eight years and billions of data points later, TESS has become something considerably more than its original brief. Its archive holds nearly 8,000 candidate exoplanets, nearly 900 of which have been confirmed. It has found worlds orbiting two stars simultaneously, planets being actively destroyed by their host stars, ultra-hot Jupiters completing full orbits in under a day, and — as of a study published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters on July 1, 2026 — the first planet ever detected by TESS using gravitational microlensing, a completely different detection method that opens an entirely new class of world to the telescope's gaze.&nbsp;What TESS Does And How It Works&nbsp;TESS surveys the sky in sectors, spending roughly 27 days staring at a patch of the sky before moving on. Its primary method is the transit technique: when a planet passes between its star and TESS's camera, the star appears fractionally dimmer. The depth and timing of those dips reveal the planet's size and orbital period. It is an elegant method, but it has a limitation — it only works for planets whose orbits are aligned just right to pass in front of their star from TESS's perspective. The vast majority of planets are invisible to this approach. The 2026 findings suggest TESS has been detecting them anyway — through methods that were never its primary purpose.&nbsp;The First Microlensing Planet In TESS Data&nbsp;The headline discovery from the July 2026 study is Gaia23bra b — a super-Jupiter approximately 1.63 times the mass of Jupiter, orbiting an orange dwarf star at a distance similar to Jupiter's orbit around the Sun. What makes this planet extraordinary is how it was found. TESS detected it not through a transit, but through gravitational microlensing — the bending of light from a background star by the gravity of the planet's host star and the planet itself. Less than five percent of all known exoplanets have been found this way, and TESS was not designed to do it. Lead author Mallory Harris, a doctoral candidate at the University of New Mexico, described the discovery as a case study in what happens when you look carefully at data collected for one purpose and find it is recording something entirely different.&nbsp;AI Is Finding 10,000 Hidden Planets In The Archive&nbsp;The microlensing discovery is not the only secret TESS has been keeping. Researchers applying machine learning to the telescope's eight-year archive have found 10,091 candidate planets that had never been identified through conventional analysis — new worlds hiding in data that had already been processed and set aside. A separate AI study confirmed over 100 exoplanets from the TESS archive, including 31 that had never previously been catalogued. Among these were rare and extreme examples: planets with orbital periods of less than one Earth day, worlds in the habitable zones of their stars where liquid water might exist, and planets with characteristics that do not fit neatly into existing classification systems.&nbsp;Worlds That Should Not Exist — But Do&nbsp;Part of what has made the TESS archive so productive for AI-driven searches is the sheer diversity of what it has captured. The telescope has found planets being torn apart by the tidal forces of their host stars, their atmospheres being stripped away in real time. It has found circumbinary planets — worlds orbiting not one but two stars — a configuration that was once thought too dynamically unstable to host stable orbits. It has found a planet orbiting a star using ripples in space-time as the detection mechanism, and it has found planets with volcanic activity implied by their surface temperatures and orbital geometry. The range of planetary environments in the TESS data has consistently surprised researchers who expected the galaxy to be more uniform than it is.&nbsp;What The Nancy Grace Roman Telescope Will Do Next&nbsp;The TESS microlensing discovery is also significant as a preview of what NASA's next major space telescope will accomplish. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, expected to launch in autumn 2026, is specifically designed for large-scale microlensing surveys and is projected to detect approximately 1,000 microlensing planets — compared to the handful identified in eight years of TESS data. The Roman telescope's discovery of Gaia23bra b in the TESS archive provides a critical methodological template: it demonstrates exactly how microlensing signals look in TESS data, which will help researchers identify and verify similar signals in Roman's far larger dataset.&nbsp;Eight Years Of Data, Decades Of Science To Come&nbsp;TESS is still operating. Every 27 days it moves to a new patch of sky, adding more data to an archive that researchers expect will take decades to fully mine. The confirmation that AI tools can extract thousands of previously unknown planet candidates from data that was thought to have been thoroughly analysed suggests that the most important discoveries from TESS may not have happened yet. As one team of researchers described it, the telescope's archive is not a finished record — it is an ongoing source of surprises. With nearly 8,000 candidates already identified and thousands more potentially buried in processed data, TESS's eight years of sky-watching appear to be just the beginning of what it has to tell us.

NASA's TESS telescope has 8 years of data hiding thousands of undiscovered planets. AI found 10,091 new candidates. A 2026 study found the first microlensing planet in TESS data. Full breakdown.

When NASA launched the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite in April 2018, the mission's goal was straightforward: scan the sky for planets orbiting nearby stars by detecting the tiny dips in starlight that occur when a planet passes in front of its host. Eight years and billions of data points later, TESS has become something considerably more than its original brief. Its archive holds nearly 8,000 candidate exoplanets, nearly 900 of which have been confirmed. It has found worlds orbiting two stars simultaneously, planets being actively destroyed by their host stars, ultra-hot Jupiters completing full orbits in under a day, and — as of a study published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters on July 1, 2026 — the first planet ever detected by TESS using gravitational microlensing, a completely different detection method that opens an entirely new class of world to the telescope's gaze. What TESS Does And How It Works TESS surveys the sky in sectors, spending roughly 27 days staring at a patch of the sky before moving on. Its primary method is the transit technique: when a planet passes between its star and TESS's camera, the star appears fractionally dimmer. The depth and timing of those dips reveal the planet's size and orbital period. It is an elegant method, but it has a limitation — it only works for planets whose orbits are aligned just right to pass in front of their star from TESS's perspective. The vast majority of planets are invisible to this approach. The 2026 findings suggest TESS has been detecting them anyway — through methods that were never its primary purpose. The First Microlensing Planet In TESS Data The headline discovery from the July 2026 study is Gaia23bra b — a super-Jupiter approximately 1.63 times the mass of Jupiter, orbiting an orange dwarf star at a distance similar to Jupiter's orbit around the Sun. What makes this planet extraordinary is how it was found. TESS detected it not through a transit, but through gravitational microlensing — the bending of light from a background star by the gravity of the planet's host star and the planet itself. Less than five percent of all known exoplanets have been found this way, and TESS was not designed to do it. Lead author Mallory Harris, a doctoral candidate at the University of New Mexico, described the discovery as a case study in what happens when you look carefully at data collected for one purpose and find it is recording something entirely different. AI Is Finding 10,000 Hidden Planets In The Archive The microlensing discovery is not the only secret TESS has been keeping. Researchers applying machine learning to the telescope's eight-year archive have found 10,091 candidate planets that had never been identified through conventional analysis — new worlds hiding in data that had already been processed and set aside. A separate AI study confirmed over 100 exoplanets from the TESS archive, including 31 that had never previously been catalogued. Among these were rare and extreme examples: planets with orbital periods of less than one Earth day, worlds in the habitable zones of their stars where liquid water might exist, and planets with characteristics that do not fit neatly into existing classification systems. Worlds That Should Not Exist — But Do Part of what has made the TESS archive so productive for AI-driven searches is the sheer diversity of what it has captured. The telescope has found planets being torn apart by the tidal forces of their host stars, their atmospheres being stripped away in real time. It has found circumbinary planets — worlds orbiting not one but two stars — a configuration that was once thought too dynamically unstable to host stable orbits. It has found a planet orbiting a star using ripples in space-time as the detection mechanism, and it has found planets with volcanic activity implied by their surface temperatures and orbital geometry. The range of planetary environments in the TESS data has consistently surprised researchers who expected the galaxy to be more uniform than it is. What The Nancy Grace Roman Telescope Will Do Next The TESS microlensing discovery is also significant as a preview of what NASA's next major space telescope will accomplish. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, expected to launch in autumn 2026, is specifically designed for large-scale microlensing surveys and is projected to detect approximately 1,000 microlensing planets — compared to the handful identified in eight years of TESS data. The Roman telescope's discovery of Gaia23bra b in the TESS archive provides a critical methodological template: it demonstrates exactly how microlensing signals look in TESS data, which will help researchers identify and verify similar signals in Roman's far larger dataset. Eight Years Of Data, Decades Of Science To Come TESS is still operating. Every 27 days it moves to a new patch of sky, adding more data to an archive that researchers expect will take decades to fully mine. The confirmation that AI tools can extract thousands of previously unknown planet candidates from data that was thought to have been thoroughly analysed suggests that the most important discoveries from TESS may not have happened yet. As one team of researchers described it, the telescope's archive is not a finished record — it is an ongoing source of surprises. With nearly 8,000 candidates already identified and thousands more potentially buried in processed data, TESS's eight years of sky-watching appear to be just the beginning of what it has to tell us.

NASA's TESS telescope has been staring at the sky for eight years, and scientists are only now beginning to understand how much it has recorded. With nearly 8,000 candidate exoplanets found, AI tools uncovering over 10,000 more hidden in its archive, and the first-ever microlensing planet discovered in its data in 2026, TESS has become one of the most productive science machines ever built and researchers say the biggest discoveries may still be buried in its data.

'8,000 candidate exoplanets': NASA's TESS is hiding mind-boggling space secrets in its 8-year data

NASA has accelerated its timeline for setting up a permanent lunar human base. The US space agency on Tuesday (Jun 30) awarded nearly $600 million in fresh contracts to three commercial space companies. This will ensure that four automated logistics missions will head to the Moon’s south pole by late 2028, bridging a critical infrastructure gap as the agency eyes the start of actual Moon base construction by 2029.The cash injection lands at a volatile time for NASA's ambitious programme. Just last month, Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin suffered a high-profile setback when its New Glenn rocket exploded during a static-fire pad test, wrecking launchpad infrastructure and tossing a wrench into NASA's immediate robotic schedules.Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/satellite-images-reveal-scale-of-venezuela-earthquake-devastation-nearly-59-000-buildings-damaged-nasa-releases-data-1782813776609">Satellite images reveal scale of Venezuela earthquake devastation; nearly 59,000 buildings damaged - NASA releases data</a><h2>Why does NASA want a base on the Moon?</h2>For years, NASA focused on Gateway, a planned space station orbiting the Moon.That changed earlier this year. In March, the agency shifted its attention towards building infrastructure directly on the lunar surface, pledging roughly $20 billion over the next seven years for the effort.The preferred location is the Moon's south pole, a region that has become increasingly important because scientists believe large quantities of water ice are trapped in permanently shadowed craters there.This water could one day provide drinking supplies, oxygen and even rocket fuel, making it a critical resource for long-term lunar exploration.<h2>Who just won NASA's new contracts?</h2>Rather than gambling on entirely unproven spacecraft, NASA is banking on upgrades to hardware that has already been built or flown. The strategy is designed to drive down research costs and force a much faster launch cadence.The $600 million funding has been split between three companies:- Astrobotic (Pittsburgh): Secured the lion's share at $297.9 million to fund two separate cargo deliveries using scaled variants of its Peregrine framework.- Intuitive Machines (Houston): Granted $148.3 million for a single delivery mission.- Firefly Aerospace (Austin): Awarded $144.2 million to execute one surface landing.These landers will transport scientific arrays, data-gathering sensors, and navigation experiments to map ice deposits and analyse soil erosion before heavy human habitats arrive.Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/what-is-the-tower-of-babel-and-why-did-pope-leo-warn-about-it-while-talking-about-ai-wion-decodes-1779790151646">Pope Leo warns humanity risks repeating ancient mistake: What is the Tower of Babel and what does it have to do with AI?</a><h2>Mars rover on the Moon?</h2>The most unexpected development from the briefing was NASA's plan to repurpose a massive piece of Martian hardware for the lunar surface. The agency is preparing to strip down and rebuild PROMISE (Polar Rover for Observation, Mapping, and In-Situ Exploration), a heavy testbed vehicle housed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory that was originally engineered to mirror the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers currently on Mars."We are thinking very hard right now about sending Promise to the moon," said NASA administrator, Jared "Rook" Isaacman.Promise's internal machinery offers a massive tactical advantage for lunar operations. The Mars rover runs on a Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG). Unlike solar-powered rovers that freeze and die during the two-week-long lunar night, PROMISE's nuclear core will keep it fully operational in pitch-black, permanently shadowed craters where scientists suspect massive deposits of water ice are trapped.<h2>Overcoming the Blue Origin disaster</h2>Carlos García-Galán, the Moon Base program manager, acknowledged that while Blue Origin's May explosion has created a logistical headache. "We're working with Blue Origin very closely to understand their timelines to recovery and also looking at other options," he said.

NASA has awarded nearly $600 million in new lunar contracts as it pushes forward with plans to establish a permanent base near the Moon's south pole. The agency says the missions will deliver cargo, scientific instruments and technology needed to identify future construction sites.

NASA has accelerated its timeline for setting up a permanent lunar human base. The US space agency on Tuesday (Jun 30) awarded nearly $600 million in fresh contracts to three commercial space companies. This will ensure that four automated logistics missions will head to the Moon’s south pole by late 2028, bridging a critical infrastructure gap as the agency eyes the start of actual Moon base construction by 2029. The cash injection lands at a volatile time for NASA's ambitious programme. Just last month, Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin suffered a high-profile setback when its New Glenn rocket exploded during a static-fire pad test, wrecking launchpad infrastructure and tossing a wrench into NASA's immediate robotic schedules. Also read | Satellite images reveal scale of Venezuela earthquake devastation; nearly 59,000 buildings damaged - NASA releases data Why does NASA want a base on the Moon? For years, NASA focused on Gateway, a planned space station orbiting the Moon. That changed earlier this year. In March, the agency shifted its attention towards building infrastructure directly on the lunar surface, pledging roughly $20 billion over the next seven years for the effort. The preferred location is the Moon's south pole, a region that has become increasingly important because scientists believe large quantities of water ice are trapped in permanently shadowed craters there. This water could one day provide drinking supplies, oxygen and even rocket fuel, making it a critical resource for long-term lunar exploration. Who just won NASA's new contracts? Rather than gambling on entirely unproven spacecraft, NASA is banking on upgrades to hardware that has already been built or flown. The strategy is designed to drive down research costs and force a much faster launch cadence. The $600 million funding has been split between three companies: - Astrobotic (Pittsburgh): Secured the lion's share at $297.9 million to fund two separate cargo deliveries using scaled variants of its Peregrine framework. - Intuitive Machines (Houston): Granted $148.3 million for a single delivery mission. - Firefly Aerospace (Austin): Awarded $144.2 million to execute one surface landing. These landers will transport scientific arrays, data-gathering sensors, and navigation experiments to map ice deposits and analyse soil erosion before heavy human habitats arrive. Also read | Pope Leo warns humanity risks repeating ancient mistake: What is the Tower of Babel and what does it have to do with AI? Mars rover on the Moon? The most unexpected development from the briefing was NASA's plan to repurpose a massive piece of Martian hardware for the lunar surface. The agency is preparing to strip down and rebuild PROMISE (Polar Rover for Observation, Mapping, and In-Situ Exploration), a heavy testbed vehicle housed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory that was originally engineered to mirror the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers currently on Mars. "We are thinking very hard right now about sending Promise to the moon," said NASA administrator, Jared "Rook" Isaacman. Promise's internal machinery offers a massive tactical advantage for lunar operations. The Mars rover runs on a Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG). Unlike solar-powered rovers that freeze and die during the two-week-long lunar night, PROMISE's nuclear core will keep it fully operational in pitch-black, permanently shadowed craters where scientists suspect massive deposits of water ice are trapped. Overcoming the Blue Origin disaster Carlos García-Galán, the Moon Base program manager, acknowledged that while Blue Origin's May explosion has created a logistical headache. "We're working with Blue Origin very closely to understand their timelines to recovery and also looking at other options," he said.

NASA has awarded nearly $600 million in new lunar contracts as it pushes forward with plans to establish a permanent base near the Moon's south pole. The agency says the missions will deliver cargo, scientific instruments and technology needed to identify future construction sites.

Humans to live on the Moon by 2029? NASA awards $600mn in contracts, unveils next phase of lunar base plans

NASA has revealed a new three-phase roadmap aimed at establishing a permanent human presence on the Moon. The ambitious project, estimated to cost billions of dollars, outlines how the agency plans to build long-term infrastructure for research, habitation, and future deep-space missions.

The proposed lunar base is expected to play a major role in future missions to Mars while also opening a new chapter in global space competition and technological innovation.

NASA Unveils Next Steps To Build Permanent Moon Base, NASA Unveils 3-Phase Roadmap 

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Humans to live on the Moon by 2029? NASA unveils next phase of lunar base plans

NASA Unveils Next Steps To Build Permanent Moon Base, NASA Unveils 3-Phase Roadmap