NASA and private companies are competing to send people to the moon by planning future Mars missions. NASA, SpaceX and Blue Origin continue their ambitious programs to create a moon base and conduct explorations of the solar system.
The Artemis program aims to send astronauts to the moon and build sustainable infrastructure for future missions.
Moon missions and Artemis program
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has announced that astronauts will travel to lunar orbit via the Artemis program, which uses the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for their missions. The Artemis 2 mission will conduct system tests needed for upcoming lunar missions, while the Artemis 3 and 4 projects will create the first human base on the moon.
NASA plans a permanent human presence on the moon within five to seven years. The project will use low-cost rovers and landers in combination with in situ raw material production systems.
According to Isaacman, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and Blue Origin are working together to create lunar landers that will enable their commercial space missions. Private sector companies help NASA by reducing operating costs, allowing faster progress in space exploration.
He explained that space stations will generate revenue through their various activities, including AI data centers and medical research conducted in microgravity environments. NASA will use the moon as a test site in preparation for its Mars missions.
The Moon will provide vital resources for upcoming space missions through its permanent infrastructure and its experiments, which will test radiation defense systems, spacecraft engines and resource mining technology.
According to Isaacman, nuclear-powered spacecraft and advanced technologies will remain under NASA’s control until the commercial space sector takes over their development. NASA Administrator Isaacman explained that humanity will establish permanent settlements on the moon, which will enable future exploration of Mars.
