NASA targets 2028 lunar landing, begins building Moon base

NASA is trying to turn its lunar ambitions into a working sequence of launches, landings and surface hardware, with Artemis IV now aimed at an early 2028 trip to the Moon’s south polar region and Artemis V expected to begin building the first Moon base later that year.

Under the updated Artemis architecture, Artemis IV would send two astronauts into lunar orbit, then down to the surface for about a week of science before returning to orbit and then Earth. NASA says the next step, Artemis V, is the mission when it expects to begin construction of the Moon base, a program designed to expand in phases rather than arrive as a single finished outpost.

That change matters because NASA is no longer describing the Moon base as a distant concept. The agency says the base will start with robotic systems and grow toward continuous operations that support science, technology demonstrations and an emerging lunar economy. The south polar region is the focus, because NASA wants a sustained human presence near the lunar South Pole, where ice and other resources could shape future exploration.

The revised plan also adds an additional mission in 2027, standardizes the SLS rocket configuration and aims for at least one crewed lunar landing every year after that. In effect, NASA is laying out a cadence it hopes can be repeated, not just a one-time return.

The architecture still depends on several pieces that have not yet been proven together on the lunar surface. NASA says the Moon base will include rovers for crew and autonomous mobility, hopper drones called MoonFall, communications relay and observation satellites, and early demonstrations in power, navigation and communications. The agency also wants nuclear radioisotope heater unit demonstrations to help systems survive the lunar night, a harsh stretch that can last two weeks.

NASA’s broader Moon-to-Mars strategy still runs through these missions. The Artemis program originally centered on Artemis Base Camp and Gateway, the lunar-orbiting station meant to support surface missions and future Mars preparation. NASA says the Moon is both a place to do science now and a proving ground for what comes next.

The schedule leaves little margin. Artemis IV has to deliver a safe landing, a week of productive work near the south pole and a clean return. Artemis V then has to move from concept to construction. If NASA can keep that sequence moving through 2027 and 2028, the agency will have something closer to a real lunar base plan than a distant promise.