NASA has unveiled plans to develop equipment for building a lunar base. The BBC reported on the 26th that NASA disclosed details of robotic landers, drones, and transport vehicles to be sent to the moon.
NASA signed contracts with private space corporations including Blue Origin, Intuitive Machines, and Astrobotic to manufacture related equipment. The robotic landers will carry landing support systems that use high-resolution cameras and laser retroreflectors.
Carlos Garcia-Galan, who leads the lunar base construction program, said robotic exploration will continue through 2029. During this period, about 4 tons of cargo will be transported to the moon through a total of 25 launches.
In March, NASA announced the "Ignition Lunar Base" program, which will receive $20 billion (about 30 trillion won) in funding. The plan will proceed in three phases through 2032.
In the first phase, robotic landers and drones will be sent ahead of astronauts to survey the lunar terrain and create maps. After that, transport vehicles will be deployed to move astronauts and carry scientific equipment.
The next phase aims to install power facilities on the moon based on nuclear power and solar energy, and the final phase aims to build semi-permanent housing suitable for human habitation. The United States believes the lunar base could serve as a hub for scientific experiments and resource exploration, and a forward base for a future crewed mission to Mars.
Meanwhile, China aims to send humans to the lunar surface by 2030. Simeon Barber, a lunar scientist at the Open University, said the United States "is having difficulty developing landers," and noted it is "hard to rule out the possibility that China will go first."