Building a long‑term base on the Moon will require extensive planning -- a planetary geologist describes the considerations that go into it - UPI.com

NASA officials announced their goal of constructing a permanent lunar outpost by 2030, outlining a set of goals for getting humans to the surface. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Building a long‑term base on the Moon will require extensive planning - a planetary geologist describes the considerations that go into it NASA plans to build a semipermanent base on the Moon in the 2030s, as shown in this illustration. NASA Clive Neal, University of Notre Dame

Lots of excitement for space bubbled up in spring 2026. The Artemis II mission took a crew of four on a flyby around the Moon, and NASA officials announced their goal of constructing a permanent lunar outpost by 2030.

With that announcement, NASA outlined a definitive set of goals for getting humans to the surface of the Moon. That way, people can learn how to live and work productively off Earth before going much farther away, to Mars. Yes, we're going to the Moon again, but this time to stay.

NASA has broken its road map toward a lunar base into three phases. Photo courtesy of NASA