NASA has announced the start of a series of missions to establish a permanent base on the moon.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) The United States has announced the launch of a series of Moon Base missions, which should form the basis for creating a permanent human presence on the moon. This was announced on May 26 by the organization's press service on its website.

At the initial stages of the program, three Moon Base missions are planned. The first of them will take place no earlier than the autumn of 2026. During the flight, the Blue Moon Mark 1 Endurance landing module of the Blue Origin aerospace company will deliver scientific equipment to the Moon to study the interaction of engines with the surface of the Earth's satellite, as well as a laser retroreflector to determine the location of objects on the Moon.

The Moon Base II and Moon Base III missions are also scheduled to launch towards the end of this year. They will deliver cargo modules, research equipment and lunar rovers to the surface of the Moon to test transport systems.

"The lunar base will become the first outpost of America and humanity on another celestial body..."Every mission, manned and unmanned, will be a learning opportunity as we return to the lunar surface, build the infrastructure for permanent residence, and master the skills necessary to live and work in one of the most challenging and dangerous environments imaginable," NASA Chief Jared Isaacman said..

In addition, the agency has signed contracts for the development of lunar vehicles totaling almost $ 440 million. New manned rovers are planned to be delivered to the South Pole of the Moon by 2028. They will be used to transport astronauts, equipment and conduct scientific research.

For the delivery of lunar rovers, the agency also signed a contract with Blue Origin for $ 188 million with the possibility of expanding the agreement to $ 280.4 million. NASA stressed that these projects are part of a strategy to build a sustainable U.S. presence on the Moon and prepare for future manned missions to Mars.

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On April 10, Isaacman announced that the United States intends to continue the lunar program. He also noted that Washington plans to regularly send missions to the Moon in order to further ensure the landing of astronauts in 2028.

However, later, on April 20, NASA released a report according to which the moon landing in 2028 may be postponed due to a serious delay in the development of spacesuits by Axiom Space. The demonstration of the spacesuits is scheduled for the end of 2027, but the readiness of both types of uniforms is delayed for at least a year and a half.