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On Sunday, NASA announced the opening of its $1 million Moon Base Student Challenge during a MAX POWER event at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. As part of a Golden Age of Science, the competition invites student teams at U.S. high schools and post-secondary schools to contribute designs for the Moon Base.

“We’re looking for students ready to think creatively, work as a team, and take on real problems connected to NASA’s future on the Moon,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “You do not have to wait until graduation to contribute. Curiosity, creativity, and the willingness to tackle hard problems without obvious answers are exactly the qualities we need as we build what comes next.”

NASA is building a Moon Base where astronauts will live, work, and explore at the lunar South Pole region. A permanent human presence on the Moon paves the way for future crewed missions to Mars and requires talent from various industries and backgrounds.

“As we build and design the foundations of Moon Base, we want to leverage all the ingenuity and innovation to think of every consideration our explorers might need to live and work there,” said Carlos García-Galán, manager, Moon Base Program. “Students bring exactly the bold ideas that we’re looking for, and I’m looking forward to their fresh perspective. Ultimately, Moon Base is for them, people who will experience a world where humans are on the Moon to stay.”

The multiphase challenge supports NASA’s commitment to cultivating the technical skills of tomorrow’s aerospace workforce. For this challenge, student teams will design innovative solutions for Moon Base across six categories: power generation and storage, construction, life-support systems, surface mobility, communications networks, and astronaut safety. The challenge gives participants an opportunity to develop necessary skills for careers in the space industry while helping advance new concepts for Moon Base technologies.

Participants are required to register for the challenge through the NASA STEM Gateway. Registration is open until Jan. 25, 2027.

“Students are the next generation of explorers and innovators. Their unique perspectives are key to helping us envision a future away from Earth, and I’m excited to see the creativity and ingenuity spurred by this challenge,” said Elaine Ho, associate administrator for the Office of STEM Engagement at NASA Headquarters.

The Moon Base Student Challenge addresses authentic environmental and mission design parameters for life and operations on the lunar surface. The deliverables reflect industry skills – such as trade studies, concept proposals, and stakeholder briefings – allowing participants across technical, vocational, and various academic tracks to build career-relevant skills without requiring prior specialized engineering or technical experience.

The Office of STEM Engagement designed the challenge in collaboration with the Moon Base Program. The Institute of Competition Sciences administers the challenge through a contract with the NASA Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation within the agency’s Research and Technology Mission Directorate.

For complete competition details, eligibility requirements, and official rules, visit:

https://moonbasechallenge.org

-end-

George Alderman / Cheryl Warner
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
george.a.alderman@nasa.gov / cheryl.m.warner@nasa.gov

Nilufar Ramji / Kenna Pell
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
nilufar.ramji@nasa.gov / kenna.m.pell@nasa.gov

NASA announced a suite of awards and mission updates on Saturday to expand the agency’s Moon Base exploration, science, and infrastructure capabilities. The investments will advance commercial robotic deliveries, a nuclear-powered rover named PROMISE, launch and orbital transfer services, and surface infrastructure as the agency works with American industry to establish a sustained presence on the Moon’s South Pole.

The agency shared the news at the MAX POWER aerospace expo and air show at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

“We are building the Moon Base mission by mission,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “Today’s announcements expand nearly every part of that campaign, using the playbook that carried NASA through its greatest eras: fly often, learn, apply those lessons, and get more better and more capable with every mission. When our astronauts return to the Moon, they will arrive with the first elements of the Moon Base already waiting for them on the surface.”

“In the eight months since Ignition, we’ve made incredible strides in accomplishing the near impossible: establishing a permanent outpost on the lunar surface,” said Carlos García-Galán, manager, Moon Base Program. “We’ve consolidated numerous efforts into a streamlined program, evolving our human exploration architecture into an iterative and sustained campaign for Moon Base technology development and implementation. Most importantly, we’ve taken action, awarding new contracts and forging new partnerships to accelerate development.”

Moon Base cargo landers

To strengthen the cargo lander network needed to support the Moon Base, NASA selected eight companies for the next phase of its CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative. The companies are eligible to compete for future lunar surface delivery missions under the new CLPS 2 contract:

• Blue Origin
• Firefly Aerospace
• Intuitive Machines
• ispace-U.S.
• Lockheed Martin Space
• Northrop Grumman Space Systems
• SpaceX
• Voyager Technologies

Under the CLPS 2 framework, the companies will provide lunar delivery services, including managing, building, and operating landers that transport NASA science, technology, and infrastructure payloads to the Moon.

The CLPS 2 framework is a 10-year, multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity master contract with a combined maximum value of $10 billion. NASA increased the value of the current CLPS 1.0 contract from $2.6 billion to $4.2 billion to support initial Phase One Moon Base objectives. The original CLPS contract will remain in place through November 2028, with an additional five-year period to complete awarded lunar deliveries through November 2033.

Nuclear-powered Moon rover

NASA also announced it is moving forward with development of PROMISE (Polar Rover for Observation, Mapping, and In-Situ Exploration). Carrying science instruments and technology demonstrations, the six-wheeled rover will land at the Moon’s South Pole to characterize the surface and subsurface, assess resource potential, and provide data to enable landing site selection, as well as future infrastructure and exploration activities. The nuclear-powered rover can operate during long lunar nights and within permanently shadowed regions thought to harbor ice, which is crucial for a sustained human presence on the Moon.

The agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, a division of Caltech, will manage the mission and build the rover from a combination of spare flight components and engineering test models for NASA’s Curiosity and Perseverance Mars rovers. Using proven hardware, software, and Mars rover operation approaches significantly reduces cost and enables integration and testing of the complex PROMISE rover on a shorter timeline. NASA has assessed the compatibility of the hardware with the lunar environment and determined it can tolerate the harsh conditions found near the Moon’s South Pole.

The PROMISE rover will carry a drill to extract regolith, or lunar dust, to characterize ice and other resources from approximately 3 feet (1 meter) below the surface, spectrometers for analyzing the chemical composition of surface material, temperature and radiation sensors, and visible-light cameras. It will demonstrate a next-generation, radiation-tolerant computing system, NASA’s High Performance Spaceflight Computing, and advanced autonomy sensors and algorithms. NASA is targeting late 2028 to launch PROMISE and planning an 18-month mission for the rover.

NASA awarded Blue Origin a $94 million base contract, with an option period worth an additional $140 million based on performance to deliver PROMISE to the lunar South Pole. The award expands the task order awarded in May 2026 to deliver two lunar terrain vehicles to the Moon. Blue Origin will use its Mark 1 lander to deliver and deploy the rover as part of the Moon Base’s first phase.

Launch, transportation awards

Delivering Moon Base infrastructure will require a robust transportation network between Earth and the Moon. Orbital Transfer Vehicles (OTVs) act like long-distance freight trucks, carrying large loads across space. Lunar landers handle the final delivery, bringing supplies, equipment, and infrastructure safely down to the Moon’s surface.

To demonstrate those capabilities, NASA awarded six task orders as part of the agency’s Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) launch services contract. The awards were given to Arrow Science and Technology, Blue Origin, and Impulse Space to integrate and transport Moon Base cargo.

Three mission types will allow NASA flexibility to fly science and technology demonstrations when they are ready.

The first will include missions to reduce risks of future long-term human spaceflight for lunar exploration. The missions will verify that communication and navigation methods work properly during the journey from Earth orbit to the Moon, and OTV capability to support delivery of a CLPS lunar lander to a desired orbit. This mission type will deliver the CAPSTONE 02 spacecraft to deep space to test proximity maneuvers, navigation, and communications around the Moon.

The second category of missions will prepare the lunar South Pole for human exploration by sending a group of highly mobile drones to survey the surface before astronauts arrive, enabling safer, more informed human missions while demonstrating advanced robotic capabilities. Such missions will include the agency’s MoonFall drones, designed to scout areas beyond the reach of traditional rovers, as well as delivery of additional Moon Base assets necessary to support Phase One objectives.

To reduce risk for future missions, the third mission type will test navigation technologies and demonstrate operations in multiple cislunar orbits, between Earth and the Moon. This mission type will demonstrate commercial orbital transfer capabilities intended to increase the amount of cargo that future landers can deliver to the lunar surface.

The task orders have a value of approximately $1.3 billion combined and fall under the 10-year VADR indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract, which has a maximum total value of $5 billion across all contracts. The VADR contracts are managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program Office at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center as part of the agency’s Commercial Access to Space Program. By procuring multiple launch and in-space transportation services together, NASA provides industry with a more predictable set of mission opportunities while gaining access to a broader range of commercial capabilities for future lunar exploration.

Some missions will launch aboard Blue Origin’s New Glenn, Relativity Space’s Terran R, and SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets. In-space transportation spacecraft for these missions will be provided by Blue Origin, Firefly Aerospace, Impulse Space, and Quantum Space.

Complementing those in-space transportation demonstrations, NASA selected SpaceX for the Cislunar Communications Deployment Demonstration under an existing lunar logistics contract. Through a Specialized Delivery Mission task order, SpaceX will launch communications satellites aboard a Starship to cislunar space in 2028. The demonstration will help inform the development of future lunar communications networks that keep astronauts, mission controllers, and the Moon Base connected.

Lunar architecture, infrastructure

To extend infrastructure capabilities on the lunar surface, NASA plans to purchase commercial components for a Mini-Communications and Solar Tower (miniCAST), including solar arrays, batteries, and wireless power-transfer hardware. The agency awarded Honeybee Robotics, a Blue Origin company, for energy storage capability, Redwire for power generation, and Yank Technologies, Inc., for wireless power transfer in support of miniCAST.

The miniCAST will combine power and communications capabilities to support future Moon Base activities. Engineers at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, will assemble and test the systems before they are delivered to the lunar surface.

NASA expects work to begin within months, and the initial effort will involve components rather than a major integrated system. The agency also plans a separate solicitation for fully integrated power systems, which is anticipated in early 2027.

NASA intends to release a directed call under its Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships, or NextSTEP-3 B, solicitation to help close architecture-driven, high-priority data gaps for Moon Base development. The effort will help NASA gather information it needs to plan future missions, reduce risk, and support technologies and infrastructure for sustained operations on the Moon’s South Pole. The work could include small spacecraft missions, payloads on future Moon Base flights, or the purchase of data collected by commercial partners.

As part of a Golden Age of innovation and exploration, NASA will send Artemis astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to the lunar South Pole to explore more of the Moon than ever before. In addition to providing economic benefits and advancing scientific discovery through its Moon missions, NASA will establish an enduring human presence on the lunar surface and build on this foundation for the first crewed mission to Mars.

To learn more about the Moon Base, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/moonbase

-end-

George Alderman / James Gannon
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
george.a.alderman@nasa.gov / james.h.gannon@nasa.gov

NASA is looking for the explorers who will help write the next chapter of human spaceflight.

Applications are now open for the agency’s next class of astronauts, who will join NASA as America returns to the Moon, builds the Moon Base, and lays the groundwork for the first crewed missions to Mars.

The next generation of astronauts will train to operate on the lunar surface, live and work beyond Earth, and take on missions that will push the boundaries of human exploration farther than ever before.

U.S. citizens interested in joining the astronaut corps have until 11:59 p.m. EST Thursday, Dec. 3, to submit their completed application materials at:

https://go.nasa.gov/3WyvlQi

“This is an extraordinary time to join NASA’s astronaut corps,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “The people we select could walk on the Moon, live and work at the Moon Base, and help pioneer the systems and operations that will ultimately carry crews to Mars. Those missions will demand technical excellence, sound judgment, teamwork, and courage. NASA’s astronaut corps has always called on remarkable Americans willing to take on extraordinary challenges in service to the nation. If you are ready to join that tradition, come help write the next chapter of humanity’s greatest adventure.”

NASA expects to make its final selection in late 2027 to begin training as the next class of astronaut candidates.

“The window is open. The mission is waiting. And the only thing missing from the greatest adventure humanity has ever embarked upon is you,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson.

The agency last opened applications in 2024. From more than 8,000 applications, 10 astronaut candidates were selected in 2025 and are currently completing nearly two years of training.

“For those who apply, becoming a NASA astronaut is more than a career opportunity,” said Scott Tingle, chief astronaut and chair of the Astronaut Selection Board at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “It is a chance to join a legacy of explorers who have pushed the boundaries of discovery and play a role in the missions that will shape humanity’s future in space. The next generation of astronaut candidates could help write history while inspiring future scientists, engineers, and explorers.”

Since the 1960s, NASA has selected 370 people to train as astronaut candidates for its increasingly challenging missions. The agency has 32 astronauts active in the astronaut corps, and selected applicants will join their ranks to study spacewalking, lunar geology, operations of high-performance aircraft, and more.

The basic requirements to apply include United States citizenship and a master’s degree in a STEM field, including engineering, biological science, physical science, or computer science from an accredited institution. The requirement for the master’s degree can also be met by:

• Completion of at least two years of work toward a doctoral program in an appropriate technical field of engineering, biological science, physical science, computer science, or mathematics. 
• Completion of a Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Physician Assistant, Doctor of Nursing Practice, Family Nurse Practitioner, or a related medical degree. 
• Completion of, or current enrollment in, a nationally recognized Test Pilot School program, provided the program is completed by July 2027. If Test Pilot School is the only advanced technical degree, then completion of a bachelor’s degree in a STEM field, including engineering, biological science, physical science, or computer science is required.

Candidates must also have at least three years of related professional experience after completing their qualifying degree. 

For pilots, the professional experience requirement may be met through the following flight experience: 

• High-performance jet aircraft: 750 hours of pilot-in-command time. 
• Other fixed-wing aircraft: 1,500 total flight hours, including 750 hours as pilot in command. 
• Rotary-wing aircraft: 1,000 total flight hours, including 300 hours as pilot in command. 

For medical doctors, residency training may count toward the professional experience requirement and must be completed by July 2027. 

Astronaut candidates must pass NASA’s long-duration astronaut flight physical and demonstrate strong leadership, teamwork, and communication skills. 

Since its inception, NASA’s astronaut corps has represented the very best of American ingenuity, skill, and determination, carrying out missions that achieve the near impossible, expanding humanity’s understanding of Earth, the Moon, and beyond.

As part of a Golden Age of innovation and exploration, NASA will send astronauts on increasingly difficult missions near the lunar South Pole to explore more of the Moon than ever before. In addition to providing economic benefits and advancing scientific discovery through its Artemis missions, NASA will establish an enduring human presence on the lunar surface and build on the agency’s foundation for the first crewed mission to Mars.

Learn more about the application process and a career as a NASA astronaut at:

go.nasa.gov/astro2026

-end-

George Alderman / Cheryl Warner
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
george.a.alderman@nasa.gov / cheryl.m.warner@nasa.gov

Anna Schneider
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
anna.c.schneider@nasa.gov