NASA Plans to Build Moon Base by 2032
On March 24, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced that NASA would land and finish building a permanent base for exploration, research, and resources on the Moon’s South Pole by the mid-2030s, but many experts have doubts about the tight timeframe.
In a press conference on May 26, NASA revealed details and new contracts for the Moon Base. The plan surprised some scientists and experts with the tighter than expected timeline, with the goals of robots and drone scouting by this year, semi-permanent stays by 2029, and a finished base in 2032. “It would not surprise me at all if China gets there first,” Dr. Simeon Barber, a Lunar Scientist at Open University, said, expressing his doubt if the tight timeframe.
The base will be powered by nuclear and solar energy, costing about $20 billion to make. Advanced cameras will be used for smoother landing, and NASA will build fission reactors and facilities for exploration and technology. The lunar South Pole has more sunlight that will supply more power generation for exploring, while also having periods of darkness that help preserving ice.
NASA’s official website has announced 3 phases. The first phase will be from the present to 2029, where NASA will release up to 25 missions to scout the South Pole region quickly with rovers and drones and prepare for humans to live there. Phase Two will include building semi-permanent structures and starting to land people. Phase Three will start in 2032, where people will start moving to the Moon and start living and working there.
China has also announced plans for landing people on the Moon by 2030 with similar goals with NASA, causing a political race for the resources and de facto control of the lunar South Pole. Experts have doubts about NASA’s fast-tracking and believe China will land first due to the government-based strategy and higher mission success rates.
This mission to build the Moon Base will be a major milestone in humanity if it succeeds. The Moon Base could lead to future missions to Mars and permanent human settlement on the Moon. There will be many challenges like costs and technology, and the timeframe, but if completed, it would be one of humanity’s greatest achievements in space exploration.