Nasa unveils next steps to build permanent Moon base

Nasa plans to send hopping drones and roving vehicles to the Moon as part of plans for a permanent Moon base. Nasa unveils next steps to build permanent Moon base Watch: Nasa shows renderings for planned permanent moon base Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Left, a mockup of an astronaut on a space rover. Right, the rover before a moon base. Nasa has released details of robotic landers, hopping drones and vehicles it aims to send to the Moon as part of US plans to build a lunar base. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos's space company Blue Origin is one of several companies picked to build the machines. The US wants to land Americans back on the Moon before President Donald Trump leaves office in 2029. But Nasa is competing with China to return humans to the lunar surface, meaning the space agency is under pressure to appear to be winning the new space race. China is forging ahead with its own plans to land humans on the Moon by 2030. On Monday it launched its Shenzhou-23 spacecraft, sending a crew of astronauts to the country's Tiangong space station. In March, Nasa announced a $20 billion programme to construct a permanent base powered by nuclear and solar energy at the Moon's south pole by 2032. Nasa administrator Jared Isaacman said on Tuesday that the announcements mean the US will "never give up the Moon again". A base would allow the US to carry out scientific experiments, potentially mine valuable resources, and travel to Mars more easily. But most experts agree that Nasa's timeline is unrealistic. Despite the US's success in sending four astronauts around the Moon in its Artemis II mission in April, some scientists believe China is likely to be the next country to land humans on the lunar surface. "It would not surprise me at all if China gets there first," Dr Simeon Barber, Lunar Scientist at Open University, told BBC News, citing Nasa's setbacks in securing a craft that can land humans on the Moon. Nasa's Ignition Moon Base programme has three phases. Before humans travel there, the space agency wants to send robotic landers and hopping drones to explore and map the Moon's challenging terrain. Delivery vehicles would also be taken that could drive astronauts over the lunar surface and carry communications and scientific instruments. On Tuesday, Nasa said companies including Blue Origin, Intuitive Machines, and Astrobotic have been awarded the contracts to build the machines. Nasa has published artist's drawings of a Moon base with housing, power systems and rovers Artist’s drawing showing lunar surface infrastructure supporting future Moon Base operations, including housing, power systems and rovers for astronauts Nasa wants Blue Origin's lunar lander, called Endurance, to be able to carry out precise landings, as well as autonomous navigation and control. Astrobotic's Griffin-1 lander is expected to land at Nobile Crater near the South Pole. The machines will also deliver scientific instruments for Nasa, including high-resolution cameras and tools that use reflected laser light to help the craft land. This robotic exploration should last until 2029, with 25 launches and 4 metric tonnes of cargo landed on the Moon, Carlos García-Galán, Moon Base programme executive said on Tuesday. Next, Nasa wants to build nuclear and solar power facilities on the Moon, including fission reactors. A drawing of a drone in Nasa's MoonFall programme that will survey the South Pole By 2032, the space agency wants humans to be able to live on the Moon in "semi-permanent" housing. Rovers would also enable astronauts to travel long-distance across the rocky surface. The Moon's South Pole is particularly appealing because frozen water could be used for drinking water or to produce oxygen. However, Nasa's plans rely on a spacecraft being ready that can safely transport humans to the Moon. Elon Musk's company SpaceX is contracted to build a craft called Starship Human Landing System, but it has faced numerous setbacks and delays. "The limiting step is getting the astronauts down onto the surface," explains lunar scientist Simeon Barber. "It sounds to me like [Nasa] feel they're in a position where they have to start saying they've got plans. So I think there's a lot of political drive behind this," he says. Lunar base with astronauts growing food in glasshouses. The Earth hangs above in the blackness of space Artemis II mission was a triumph. Now comes the hard part Li Jiaying, Hong Kong's first astronaut, waves while wearing a full white space suit First Hong Kong astronaut launches into space onboard Chinese mission The plans include permanent human habitation on the Earth's only natural satellite by 2032. Belfast woman Deby has set herself the target of enabling 100 women to walk on the Moon. Seeing Artemis has made space careers a reality for children, says a woman who promotes STEM jobs. Jack Hathaway tells Cranfield University he had to wait for a break in the British weather. Reid Wiseman’s two daughters were in Nasa’s mission control room for the naming of the “Carroll” crater in honour of the commander’s late wife. The four crew members gave their first press conference since they splashed down nearly a week ago, and emphasised hope and unity. The crew held its first press conference since splashing down from their historic 10-day trip. Dr Christina Mackaill has been teaching emergency departments about how to treat astronauts after returning to Earth.