NASA Plans Permanent Moon Base by 2033 for £24 Billion

NASA plans to have astronauts living permanently on the Moon by 2033, according to a briefing by NASA administrator Jared Isaacman to US and international partners on April 26, 2026. The project will cost £24 billion and follows the successful completion of Artemis II’s first manned lunar orbit since 1972. Isaacman stated: “It’s time to start believing again. This time the goal is not flags and footprints. This time the goal is to stay.”

Phase One: Preparation and Cargo Delivery

Phase one of the project is already underway with small commercial landers delivering cargo and science equipment to the Moon’s south pole in preparation for astronaut landing in 2028. Over the next two years, pioneer probes and rovers will map terrain, search for ice that could be used as water, monitor radiation levels, drill below the surface, hunt for resources, and test communications. They will also collect crucial ascent and descent data to make landings safer for crewed missions and study how Moon dust is kicked up on landing. Solar panels for power and navigational beacons will arrive.

UK Communications Satellite

The first Moon communications satellite—the Brit-built Lunar Pathfinder—will be launched next year to provide astronauts with a reliable link to Earth even when on the far side, which has previously been a dead zone for crews. Andrew Cawthorne, chief executive of Surrey Satellite Technology Limited, which is building the communicator, said: “If you can’t see the Earth then you can’t talk to it so Lunar Pathfinder will provide that relay. Everybody here is super excited. We’ve been building satellites for 40 years but this is our first Moon foray.”

Next Year Cargo Operations

Next year, nine more cargo landers will ferry equipment including heaters, nuclear power generators, communication systems, and NASA’s resource-prospecting VIPER rover to the Moon.

Artemis III Orbital Test

The spacecraft that will land astronauts will be tested in orbit during the Artemis III mission expected in mid-2027. Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin are vying to get the first mission.

Crewed Landing Missions

If the landers prove reliable, Artemis IV and V missions will land astronauts on the surface in 2028.

Base Construction and Infrastructure

From 2029, the building of the Moon base will begin. By 2032, NASA plans to have a large pressurised rover in operation—a jumbo space truck that can act as a mobile home for astronauts. The rover is being built by Toyota and the Japanese space agency JAXA. The base will be located at the south pole as it contains water in ice form. The south pole differs from Apollo landing sites, with extreme periods of cold and dark and a 14-day night.

UK Power Supply Companies

Perpetual Atomics, a spin-off from the University of Leicester, is hoping to supply power for the Moon base. Buckinghamshire-based Pulsar Fusion is developing a nuclear fusion propulsion device to dock with any spacecraft to provide substantial power.