Select Language:
NASA has decided to cancel its plans to establish a space station in lunar orbit. Instead, the agency will focus on using its existing components to build a $20 billion base directly on the moon’s surface over the next seven years, announced Jared Isaacman, the agency’s new director, on Tuesday.
Sworn in at NASA in December, Isaacman revealed this shift during a full-day event at NASA’s headquarters in Washington. There, he outlined several changes to the Artemis lunar program, which is NASA’s flagship effort to explore the moon.
“It’s no surprise that we’re pausing the Gateway in its current form and shifting our focus toward infrastructure that supports long-term operations directly on the lunar surface,” Isaacman explained.
The Lunar Gateway, a space station largely assembled with contributions from Northrop Grumman and Vantor (formerly Maxar), was designed to orbit the moon. Transitioning it into a lunar surface base isn’t straightforward.
“Despite hardware and scheduling challenges, we can adapt equipment and international partnerships to support operations on the moon’s surface and meet other program goals,” Isaacman added.
Originally, the Lunar Gateway intended to serve as both a research platform and a transfer hub where astronauts would prepare for lunar landings. But recent decisions are reshaping billions of dollars worth of contracts under the Artemis initiative, prompting companies to adapt quickly amid China’s advancements toward its own 2030 moon landing.
ChatGPT
Perplexity
Gemini AI
Grok AI
