NASA on Tuesday announced major changes to its Artemis program, scrapping the planned lunar orbit space station and instead focusing on building a $20 billion moon base. The move, led by NASA chief Jared Isaacman, aims to accelerate human return to the moon by 2028 and counter China’s planned lunar mission by 2030, while also advancing nuclear-powered deep space missions to Mars.

Bullets

• NASA will cancel the Lunar Gateway station in its current form and redirect resources to build a permanent base on the moon’s surface.
• The proposed moon base, estimated at $20 billion, will support long-term human presence and sustained lunar operations.
• The decision aims to speed up the US mission to return astronauts to the moon before China’s planned 2030 landing.
• NASA plans to send more robotic landers and deploy drones to explore and prepare the lunar surface.
• The agency also plans to develop nuclear power systems for use on the moon in the coming years.
• A nuclear-powered spacecraft, Space Reactor 1 Freedom, is planned for launch to Mars before the end of 2028.
• The Mars mission will test nuclear electric propulsion and deploy helicopters for planetary exploration.
• International partners like Japan, Canada, and the European Space Agency may need to adjust roles after Gateway changes.
• SpaceX and Blue Origin lunar lander projects are behind schedule, posing challenges for the 2028 crewed landing goal.
• NASA may select whichever lander is ready first, instead of following a fixed mission order under Artemis.