NASA plans three lunar missions by the end of 2026

NASA plans three lunar missions by the end of 2026. The missions are part of their first lunar base, building on the success of the Artemis II mission in April 2026. Reported by Engadget on Tuesday, 26 May, lunar flights are just one part of NASA’s plan to establish a permanent presence on the Moon. Additionally, NASA will study the lunar surface conditions for future landings. The first mission, Lunar Base I, is scheduled for launch no earlier than autumn 2026 and will deliver payloads including the Lunar Surface Dust and Aerosol Study instrument and cameras using Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 Endurance lander. The final mission of 2026, Lunar Base III, will use Intuitive Machine’s Nova-C Trinity lander to study lunar swirls and deploy payloads for the European Space Agency and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute. NASA has multiple contracts for payload delivery and rover/lander development, which complicates tracking who is responsible for what. Meanwhile, Blue Origin secured a $118 million contract to send the rover to the Moon and is developing a lander for future NASA missions. NASA recently completed testing of Blue Origin’s lander, intended for the first Lunar Base mission, and this month announced receipt of a second-generation prototype designed for crew testing and training. This is also linked to NASA’s delay in sending humans to the lunar surface until 2028. Before astronauts reach the Moon, the agency plans to send a drone to survey landing sites as part of its MoonFall mission.