Before any human foothold can take root on the Moon, the machines must go first, and this week NASA chose the firms that will build them: Blue Origin, Intuitive Machines and Astrobotic, each sent to lay the groundwork for a permanent base near the lunar south pole. It is the opening chapter of a long human ambition to live beyond Earth, shaped now by a race with China and by the stubborn fact that a lander capable of carrying people safely to the surface is not yet in hand. Whether the schedule holds will say as much about the difficulty of the ground as about the ambition of the nation pursui
Nasa Unveils Robotic Groundwork for Permanent Moon Base as China Races Toward Lunar Landing
The robots can go first, but without a crewed lander the base has no one to serve.
Mark
So what actually happened on Tuesday?
Mimi
Nasa named the companies building the first wave of hardware for a Moon base: Blue Origin, Intuitive Machines and Astrobotic. Landers, hopping drones, rovers.
Mark
Why robots first?
Mimi
Mapping and exploring difficult terrain before people arrive. Blue Origin's Endurance lander is meant to land precisely, and Astrobotic's Griffin-1 is headed for Nobile Crater near the south pole.
Luke
And the schedule? Those dates sound firm.
Mimi
They're targets. Robotic work runs to 2029 with 25 launches and 4 metric tonnes of cargo, and the base is aimed at 2032.
Luke
Targets is the right word. The reporting says most experts think the timeline is unrealistic, and that's a general statement; we aren't told who or how many.
Mark
What about China?
Mimi
China aims to land humans by 2030 and just launched Shenzhou-23 to its Tiangong station.
Luke
Dr Simeon Barber says it wouldn't surprise him if China got there first. That's one scientist's opinion, not a forecast we can verify.
Mark
What's the weak point in the plan?
Mimi
A spacecraft that can carry humans safely down to the Moon. Nasa has had setbacks securing one.
Luke
The source doesn't say what those setbacks were or when a lander will be ready. That's still unknown, and everything else hangs on it.
Der Puls
- NASA has handed robotic lander and hopping drone contracts to Blue Origin, Intuitive Machines and Astrobotic, launching the first phase of its Moon base plan.
- A race with China, which aims to land humans on the Moon by 2030, puts sharp pressure on NASA to show it is still leading.
- The robotic phase must deliver 25 launches and 4 tonnes of cargo by 2029, with power facilities and semi-permanent housing targeted for 2032.
- Most experts call the 2032 timeline unrealistic, and the entire plan hinges on a crewed lander that has not yet been secured.
Before any human foothold can take root on the Moon, the machines must go first, and this week NASA chose the firms that will build them: Blue Origin, Intuitive Machines and Astrobotic, each sent to lay the groundwork for a permanent base near the lunar south pole. It is the opening chapter of a long human ambition to live beyond Earth, shaped now by a race with China and by the stubborn fact that a lander capable of carrying people safely to the surface is not yet in hand. Whether the schedule holds will say as much about the difficulty of the ground as about the ambition of the nation pursuing it.
On Tuesday, NASA laid out the machines it plans to send ahead of any permanent human presence on the Moon: robotic landers, hopping drones and roving vehicles. Blue Origin, the company founded by Jeff Bezos, is among the firms chosen, alongside Intuitive Machines and Astrobotic. These robots are the first phase of the Ignition Moon Base programme, meant to map difficult terrain and prepare the way for delivery vehicles that could one day carry astronauts across the surface.
The chosen site is the lunar south pole, where frozen water could supply drinking water and oxygen. Programme executive Carlos García-Galán set the robotic effort to run until 2029, with 25 launches and 4 metric tonnes of cargo. After that, power facilities, nuclear and solar, are meant to follow, and NASA hopes people can live in semi-permanent housing there by 2032, supported by long-range rovers.
The push is also political. The US wants Americans back on the lunar surface before President Trump leaves office in 2029, while China is pursuing its own crewed landing by 2030. Most experts consider NASA's timeline unrealistic, though the recent Artemis II mission, which sent four astronauts around the Moon, offers some encouragement. One lunar scientist said he would not be surprised if China arrived first.
All of it depends on one thing: a spacecraft able to carry people safely to the surface. The robots can go ahead, but without a crewed lander there is no one for the base to serve. That is the milestone to watch as 2029 and 2030 draw closer.
On Tuesday, Nasa laid out the machines it intends to send ahead of any permanent human presence on the Moon: robotic landers, hopping drones and vehicles built to roam the lunar surface. Blue Origin, the space company founded by Amazon's Jeff Bezos, is one of several firms chosen to build them. Intuitive Machines and Astrobotic are the others named in the contract awards.
The hardware is the first phase of Nasa's Ignition Moon Base programme, which has three phases in all. Before people go, the agency wants robotic landers and hopping drones to explore and map terrain it describes as challenging. Delivery vehicles would follow, able to carry astronauts across the surface as well as communications gear and scientific instruments.
Some of the specifics are already attached to individual companies. Nasa wants Blue Origin's lander, called Endurance, to manage precise landings along with autonomous navigation and control. Astrobotic's Griffin-1 lander is expected to touch down at Nobile Crater, near the lunar south pole. The machines will also carry instruments for Nasa, among them high-resolution cameras and tools that use reflected laser light to help a craft land.
Carlos García-Galán, the Moon Base programme executive, put numbers on the robotic effort on Tuesday. It should run until 2029, with 25 launches and 4 metric tonnes of cargo landed on the Moon. After that, Nasa wants to build power facilities, both nuclear and solar, including fission reactors. By 2032 the agency hopes people will be able to live on the Moon in what it calls semi-permanent housing, with rovers allowing astronauts to travel long distances over the rocky ground.
The south pole is the chosen site because of frozen water there, which could be used for drinking or to produce oxygen. In March, Nasa announced a $20 billion programme to build the base there, powered by nuclear and solar energy, by 2032. A base would allow scientific experiments, potentially the mining of valuable resources, and easier travel to Mars. Nasa administrator Jared Isaacman said the announcements mean the US will "never give up the Moon again".
The politics sit close behind the engineering. The US wants Americans back on the lunar surface before President Donald Trump leaves office in 2029. China, meanwhile, is pursuing its own plan to land humans on the Moon by 2030, and on Monday it launched Shenzhou-23, sending a crew to its Tiangong space station. The BBC notes that Nasa is under pressure to appear to be winning this new space race.
Most experts, the BBC reports, regard Nasa's timeline as unrealistic. That is despite April's Artemis II mission, which sent four astronauts around the Moon. Dr Simeon Barber, a lunar scientist at the Open University, told BBC News it would not surprise him at all if China got there first, pointing to Nasa's setbacks in securing a craft that can land humans on the Moon.
That is the dependency the whole plan rests on: a spacecraft ready to carry people safely to the surface. The robots can go first, but without a crewed lander the base has no one to serve, and that is the thing to watch as 2029 and 2030 approach.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
It would not surprise me at all if China gets there first.— Dr Simeon Barber, lunar scientist, Open University
The US will never give up the Moon again.— Jared Isaacman, Nasa administrator
Möchten Sie die ganze Geschichte?
Das Original lesen bei BBC News ↗
Science & Space