NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced on Tuesday that his agency is rapidly progressing toward building a $20 billion base on the moon, instead of a space station that would orbit the lunar body.
At a daylong event, the NASA chief said the Trump administration’s priority for its national space policy is to “never again give up” the moon as the United States races China to establish a presence there first.
In accordance with that vision, Isaacman said a U.S.-flagged moon base is necessary to establish a lasting presence in space and will serve as a launching pad for other missions to nearby planets.
“The surface will be the technology proving ground for the capabilities required to undertake future missions to Mars, not to mention that it is safer and enables incredible opportunities for science,” Isaacman said in a message to NASA employees.
Those who were working on the Lunar Gateway space station will be redirected to developing the lunar surface base or other programs, he noted.
NASA plans to roll out the project in three phases: experimenting with the Artemis moon landings, building semi-habitable infrastructure, and delivering the housing to the moon. Half of the $20 billion designated for the project will fund the first phase.
The announcement comes as NASA prepares to launch the four-person Artemis II crew in early April. The launch has been postponed multiple times this year. The astronauts started their mandatory quarantine period last week ahead of the anticipated launch.
The goal of Artemis II is for the crew to orbit the moon and return safely to Earth.
Depending on the success of the mission, Artemis III and Artemis IV will start in 2027 and 2028, respectively. The plan, Isaacman says, is to establish an “enduring presence” on the moon before China can land there by 2030.
“The clock is running in this great‑power competition, and success or failure will be measured in months, not years,” he said in a press release about the agency’s “Ignition” event, where Isaacman unveiled his new vision for NASA.
NASA also plans to phase out its use of the International Space Station, which will be used as a test ground for developing commercial satellite stations in the future. The agency also reaffirmed its commitment to pursuing nuclear power in space.
NASA MAKES MAJOR CHANGES TO SPEED UP ARTEMIS PROGRAM
The goal is to use nuclear energy to fuel a spacecraft to Mars by the end of 2028. A key part of that goal is to build a nuclear reactor on the moon’s surface.
In December 2025, the Senate confirmed Isaacman as NASA administrator in a 67-30 vote. In his message to the NASA workforce, he acknowledged the rapid pace with which the agency has moved on various programs since his confirmation.
