NASA is advancing plans for a Moon Base, including developing the MoonFall drone program to scout the lunar surface and establish a perimeter using drones, with support from Firefly Aerospace.
<p>NASA officials <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-provides-update-on-moon-base-rovers-landers-missions/">announced contract awards</a> for the initial elements of a lunar base on Tuesday, including two rovers that will provide mobility to astronauts.</p>
<p>With the series of announcements, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman sought to maintain momentum around a Moon Base initiative revealed two months ago as part of the space agency's return to the Moon. "For those waiting patiently, the grand return is close at hand, and we will not slow down," he said.</p>
<p>The manager for the lunar base, Carlos Garcia-Galan, said the space agency had selected two companies, Astrolab and Lunar Outpost, to build approximately one-ton rovers that would be ready for delivery to the Moon in 2028. Astrolab will receive $219 million for its "CLV-1" rover, and Lunar Outpost $220 million for its "Pegasus" rover, building upon initial contracts <a href="https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/04/nasa-asks-the-commercial-space-industry-for-a-rugged-long-lived-lunar-rover/">awarded two years ago</a>. Each rover is expected to have a range of 200 km and be capable of driving autonomously, with guidance from operators on Earth, in addition to being driven by astronauts.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/nasa-takes-steps-toward-building-moon-base-including-discussing-a-perimeter/">Read full article</a></p>
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# NASA takes steps toward building Moon Base, including discussing a "perimeter"
Source: [https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/nasa-takes-steps-toward-building-moon-base-including-discussing-a-perimeter/](https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/nasa-takes-steps-toward-building-moon-base-including-discussing-a-perimeter/)
“What we are embarking upon is extremely challenging,” Isaacman said\. “We know so little from what is a combined 80 hours of lunar astronaut EVA time across the Apollo missions, and that was more than a half century ago\.”
To that end, one of the central elements of the early Moon Base program is the development of the[MoonFall program](https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/moonfall/), which will entail three or four drones each about 1 meter tall, with a mass of 225 kg, including propellant\. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is leading development of the MoonFall drones, and these will be delivered to the lunar surface by Firefly Aerospace, Garcia\-Galan said\.
The goal is to get these spacecraft to the Moon before the Artemis IV lunar landing mission, scheduled for no earlier than 2028, to provide high\-resolution imagery of the lunar surface\. For most of the Moon, the current imagery resolution is 1 meter, and NASA wants to improve it to 1 cm, Garcia\-Galan said\.
## Establishing a perimeter
These drones will perform a number of functions, including scouting for water ice in permanently shadowed regions, identifying areas of scientific interest, and providing detailed information about landing sites, including soil mechanics, lighting conditions, and the terrain\. At the end of their flying lifetime, the drones would then be used to set a boundary for the Moon Base\.
“We’re hoping to … establish a Moon Base perimeter with four or three lunar drones,” Garcia\-Galan said\. “We’re going to be able to basically put them at the corners of the areas where we think we have either key scientific objectives, or we want to build up the Moon Base\.” In these positions, he added, the retired drones could also provide a beacon with retro\-reflectors, or even perhaps serve as the first lunar cell towers\.
NASA announced three Moon Base missions launching this year to prepare for a permanent lunar base and crewed Artemis landing in 2028, along with contracts for new rovers and drone missions.
NASA will host a news conference on May 26, 2026, to provide updates on the Moon Base strategy and missions, highlighting progress toward a sustained lunar presence.
NASA has unveiled its master plan for a permanent Moon Base at the lunar South Pole, aiming for sustained human presence with commercial partners. Elon Musk called it inspiring.
NASA Administrator announces plans for a sustained human presence at the lunar South Pole, beginning with Phase 1 involving CLPS landers and LTV rovers, leading to a Moon base and future Mars missions.