NASA announced an agencywide realignment last week and is continuing to refine its planned lunar missions with a far-reaching goal to bring humans to Mars.
WASHINGTON — NASA’s ongoing lunar missions and its ambitious plan to build a permanent base on the moon’s south pole are pushing ahead.
The agency is holding a news conference Tuesday to share the latest updates on the projects and its larger vision, which comes days after NASA announced its agencywide realignment to “increase mission focus and move out on the National Space Policy.”
“NASA is advancing development of Moon Base, a long-term lunar exploration and infrastructure initiative designed to enable sustained human presence and expanded scientific and commercial activity at the lunar South Pole,” the agency said in a news release.
At the forefront of the lunar ambitions and exploration is Artemis, which entered its third phase when the four-person crew of the Artemis II mission splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean after their historic fly-by mission around the moon in April.
The Artemis II mission took the three NASA astronauts and one Canadian Space Agency astronaut the farthest distance humans have ever traveled as it looped around the moon in a slingshot maneuver that sent the Orion spacecraft back to Earth.
The mission captivated the world’s attention and ignited a groundswell of interest, sparking “moon joy” and overall renewed excitement in space exploration.
Artemis III was initially supposed to bring humans back to the lunar surface, but its mission was reimagined in early 2026. Now scheduled for launch in 2027, the mission will instead test one or both commercial landers from SpaceX and BlueOrigin in low-earth orbit.
Artemis IV, with a goal to put NASA space boots back on the lunar surface, has a target launch for early 2028.
Artemis V is the final chapter that aims to lay the groundwork for regular return missions to the moon.
NASA describes the Artemis mission as a “stepping stone for Mars” and is part of the agency’s recently announced priority to establish a moon base at the lunar south pole.
“As part of the Golden Age of innovation and exploration, NASA will send astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars,” NASA stated ahead of the press conference.
Tuesday’s press conference is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. Eastern and will be held at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C.