Permanent Human Presence on the Moon: NASA's Billion-Dollar Project

NASA has announced contracts worth billions of dollars for cargo transport, a nuclear-powered rover, and communication systems on the Moon, aiming to establish a permanent human presence at the lunar south pole and pave the way for a crewed mission to Mars.

The U.S. space agency (NASA) has announced a package of contracts worth billions of dollars for cargo transport, development of a nuclear-powered rover, communication systems, and infrastructure on the Moon. The program aims to establish a permanent human presence at the lunar south pole and prepare the ground for a crewed mission to Mars. The announcement was made at the "MAX POWER" space exhibition at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said, "We are building the lunar base mission by mission." As part of the project, NASA selected eight American companies, including Blue Origin and SpaceX, which will compete for transport missions under a 10-year framework contract with a maximum value of $10 billion. The first-phase budget was expanded from $2.6 billion to $4.2 billion, with deliveries by 2033. A central part of the program is the development of the PROMISE rover, a six-wheeled vehicle powered by nuclear energy, scheduled to launch in late 2028 for an 18-month mission. The rover will carry a drill for excavating lunar dust to a depth of one meter, temperature and radiation sensors, and cameras. Additionally, SpaceX will launch communication satellites using Starship in 2028. NASA is also developing the CAST system, a miniaturized communication and energy tower. The project is a cornerstone of the Artemis program for a continuous human presence on the Moon.