On May 26, 2026, at 8:00 PM Italian time, NASA held a press conference to provide an update on its future lunar exploration plans, specifically announcing progress on the construction of a permanent base on the Moon, dubbed the Moon Base.
The conference featured NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, Associate Administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate Lori Glaze, and NASA’s Lunar Base Program Lead, Carlos García-Galán.
Isaacman announced that in the coming months, by the end of 2026, there will be three “Moon Base missions,” which are repurposed CLPS program missions. The first, “Moon Base 1,” will be a mission by Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mk1 lander, currently scheduled for Fall 2026. This mission will transport two scientific payloads to the Moon and demonstrate critical landing and surface operations capabilities.
The second mission, “Moon Base 2,” will involve Astrobotic’s Griffin-1 lander, carrying the FLIP rover developed by Astrolab to the lunar surface. This mission will focus on mobility technologies and logistical support essential for future human activities on the Moon, with an emphasis on transportation operations and system resilience in the lunar environment.
Meanwhile, “Moon Base 3” will be Intuitive Machines’ IM-3 mission, utilizing the Nova-C 3 lander. This mission will carry the first scientific payloads developed by U.S. and international universities, along with a payload from the European Space Agency (ESA). According to statements made during the conference, both Moon Base 2 and Moon Base 3 are slated for launch before the end of 2026.
Isaacman also revealed the launch of a new official website dedicated to the Moon Base, which will serve as a central hub for mission updates, videos, images, and technical insights.
García-Galán outlined the three phases of lunar base construction, as depicted in an infographic. The first phase alone is expected to involve 21 lunar landings, including landers, drones, and rovers.
First Two LTVs and Lunar Drones
During the press conference, Carlos García-Galán announced the awarding of the CLPS-LTV contract to Blue Origin, which will be responsible for transporting Lunar Terrain Vehicles (LTVs) to the lunar surface using the Blue Moon Mk1 landers.
He then announced the awarding of two contracts for the construction of LTV program rovers:
- The first contract went to Astrolab, which will provide a lunar rover based on the FLEX model, designed for both crewed and uncrewed operations.
- The second contract was awarded to Lunar Outpost, which will deliver the Pegasus rover, an advanced and modified version of their previous Eagle concept.
Carlos García-Galán also discussed the Moonfall project, which aims to deploy probe landers capable of flying several kilometers above the lunar surface for mobility. García-Galán explained that NASA intends to test technologies designed to enable lunar systems to withstand the extreme temperatures of the lunar night, which will be crucial for ensuring long-duration operations on the Moon. These lander-drones will also be used for reconnaissance of future landing sites, equipped with instruments capable of mapping terrain with centimeter-level resolution.
The Moonfall lander program is led by JPL. It was also announced that Firefly Aerospace has been selected to transport the first Moonfall drone to the Moon. The company’s Elytra vehicle will eventually carry up to four Moonfall drones, which will be deployed directly into lunar orbit before commencing surface operations.
García-Galán further announced that NASA is officially accepting proposals for the CLPS 2.0 program until June 30, 2026. The agency expects to announce the selected companies in early Fall or by the end of Summer 2026.
Finally, García-Galán elaborated on NASA’s efforts to more concretely define the primary objectives of the future Moon Base, distinguishing between short-term priorities and long-term strategic goals for humanity’s permanent presence on the Moon.
