{"id":4446,"date":"2026-06-30T19:06:50","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T19:06:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=4446"},"modified":"2026-06-30T19:06:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T19:06:50","slug":"nasa-makes-moves-to-dodge-costly-delays-on-its-path-to-build-a-30-billion-moon-base","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=4446","title":{"rendered":"NASA makes moves to dodge costly delays on its path to build a $30 billion moon base"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n NASA\u2019s moon base plans, conceptualized just a few months ago, are rolling out in earnest as the space agency maps out plans to deliver landers, rovers, buggies and other assets to the lunar surface.\n <\/p>

Read more Speaker Johnson loses key vote as House GOP leaders struggle to contain rebellion<\/a><\/p>\n

\n On Tuesday, NASA said it will pay at least half a billion dollars to three companies \u2014 Astrobotic, Firefly and Intuitive Machines \u2014 for four missions to deliver science instruments and other cargo to the moon. Astrobotic was the only vendor to be awarded two missions.\n <\/p>\n

\n The agency also floated the possibility of repurposing a Mars rover, nicknamed Promise, for use on the moon.\n <\/p>\n

\n It\u2019s part of a broader effort to use robotic vehicles to build up infrastructure on the moon that can be used by future human explorers.\n <\/p>\n

\n The deals announced Tuesday are part of what Carlos Garc\u00eda-Gal\u00e1n, NASA\u2019s program executive for the moon base, called \u201cPhase 1\u201d of a plan to build out a permanent lunar settlement where astronauts will live and work. This initial phase is expected to last through 2028 and cost about $10 billion.\n <\/p>\n

\n NASA announced other deals under the first phase of the program last month, including plans to rename three previously contracted missions as \u201cMoon Base\u201d specific. The agency also awarded additional contracts in May \u2014 worth over $1 billion altogether \u2014 for building buggies to drive on the lunar surface and deploying three or four drones to the moon to help map a moon base location, perhaps as soon as 2028.\n <\/p>

Read more Supreme Court agrees to review ban on AR-style semi-automatic rifles in major Second Amendment case<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Phases 2 and 3 \u2014 which include plans to build the first pressurized habitats on the moon and install power generators \u2014 lay out NASA\u2019s vision to continue building up its moon base in the 2030s. Eventually, NASA says it hopes astronauts will live and work in \u201csemi-permanent\u201d settlements.\n <\/p>\n

\n It\u2019s all part of the space agency\u2019s plan to compete with China, whose space program has taken dramatic strides over the past decade. Lawmakers continually warn China\u2019s efforts are threatening to eclipse the United States\u2019 technological supremacy in space.\n <\/p>\n

\n Navigating setbacks\n<\/h2>\n
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\"Damage<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n
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\nDamage at the site of a launchpad as seen on May 29 after an uncrewed Blue Origin New Glenn rocket exploded during a test at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida. REUTERS\/Joe Skipper<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
Joe Skipper\/Reuters<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n Still, NASA is already facing clear headwinds.\n <\/p>\n

\n Blue Origin, the space outfit founded by Amazon\u2019s Jeff Bezos, was set to deliver a prototype of its massive robotic lander, called Blue Moon, to the lunar south pole later this year. The south pole is highly coveted because it is believed to be home to stores of water ice, which can be converted to rocket fuel or drinking water.\n <\/p>\n

\n But Blue Origin suffered a major setback in May when one of its rockets abruptly exploded on the launchpad, destroying vital infrastructure that will take months to rebuild. It\u2019s not clear how long the Blue Moon launch may be postponed as a result.\n <\/p>\n

\n On Tuesday, Garc\u00eda-Gal\u00e1n hinted that the Blue Moon lander may launch on a different vehicle if needed, saying NASA is \u201clooking at other options\u201d in case Blue Origin\u2019s rocket and launchpad work doesn\u2019t meet the agency\u2019s timeline.\n <\/p>

Read more Longtime Clinton aide walks back claim former president visited Epstein island, sources say<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Conceptualized just a few months ago, NASA\u2019s moon base plans are rolling out in earnest as the space agency maps out plans to deliver assets to the lunar surface.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4443,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science","category-space"],"yoast_head":"\nNASA makes moves to dodge costly delays on its path to build a $30 billion moon base - Relocation Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=4446\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NASA makes moves to dodge costly delays on its path to build a $30 billion moon base - 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