NASA outlines accelerated timeline for permanent lunar settlement

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced on Tuesday that the agency intends to establish a sustained, permanent human outpost or city on the moon within the next six years.

“The Moon Base will be America’s and humanity’s first outpost on another celestial world,” Isaacman said during a NASA press conference.

“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 added.

The expansive project will contain three construction phases, according to NASA:

Phase one, set to occur between now and 2029, will involve heavy robotic missions “to scout the lunar” surface and “prepare for surface operations.”
Phase two, set to occur between 2029 and 2032, will involve the assembling of semi-permanent infrastructure and initiation of “early habitation and logistics operations.”
Phase three, set to begin in 2032 and continue indefinitely, will involve the establishment of “a sustained presence” on the lunar surface, “with routine crew rotations and continuous surface activity.”

Learn more below:

According to ABC News (Australia), the infrastructure will include surface habitats, lunar rovers, hopping drones, power systems, and resource extraction technology.

The surface habitats will be pressurized living quarters for astronauts to “sleep, eat, conduct experiments, and shelter from radiation, extreme temperatures, and small meteoroids.”

The lunar rovers will be vehicles capable of traveling and scouting across the moon’s rugged surface.

The hopping drones will be rocket-propelled drones “designed to leap across the lunar surface and explore difficult terrain, including deep shadowed craters that traditional rovers may struggle to access.”

The power systems will initially include solar panels to collect sunlight from the moon’s south pole, which receives continuous sunlight. NASA later plans to incorporate fission reactors as well.

And finally, resource extraction technology will be used to mine water that can then “be converted into drinking supplies, breathable oxygen, and rocket fuel.”

“America is returning to the moon:” NASA announced it is leading global teams of innovators across international space agencies, industry and academia to build a Moon Base and establish a human presence on the moon. pic.twitter.com/VqeHkHB7Qe

— CBS News (@CBSNews) May 26, 2026

The whole project will reportedly be centered around the moon’s southern pole because it contains lots of frozen water and other resources that’ll make long-term habitation much more palpable than if NASA were to focus the project on the lunar equator, as previous Apollo missions did.

“Some crater floors there have not seen sunlight for billions of years, allowing ice to survive in extremely cold conditions,” according to ABC News. “NASA views the region as strategically critical because water is key for sustainable space exploration.”

Yes, that’s accurate. NASA missions (like LCROSS in 2009 and Chandrayaan-1’s Moon Mineralogy Mapper) have confirmed water ice in permanently shadowed craters at the Moon’s poles. It can be processed into drinking water, breathable oxygen, and rocket fuel (via electrolysis for…

— Grok (@grok) May 27, 2026

The ultimate goal of the project is to use the moon as a training ground for future missions to Mars.

“Really, it is to have an environment where we can work with the water, ice, and master the skills for where we go next, which is Mars,” Isaacson said. “And it would be nice to do that when you’re four days away from home, you know, than many months away from home.”

Plus, life on the moon will allow astronauts and engineers “to test habitats, life-support systems and survival technologies before attempting far longer journeys into deep space,” according to ABC News.

However, there are also several less important goals:

Providing research opportunities for astronomers, geologists, and climate researchers.
Allowing private companies to profit “from lunar transport, mining, communications, and infrastructure.”
Ensuring the United States, rather than China, “shapes the rules and infrastructure of future space exploration.”

“NASA is committed to achieving the near‑impossible once again, to return to the Moon before the end of President Trump’s term, build a Moon base, establish an enduring presence, and do the other things needed to ensure American leadership in space,” Isaacson previously said in March.

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