NASA announced a major shift in its lunar strategy, pausing the lunar Gateway project—a planned orbiting station—and replacing it with a $20 billion moon base initiative. The agency aims to establish a permanent human presence on the moon, starting with crewed landings every six months after 2028. The plan includes three phases: deploying robotic missions via the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, building semi-habitable infrastructure with international partners, and later constructing permanent habitats.

Administrator Jared Isaacman emphasized the goal of “ensuring American leadership in space” amid budget constraints that originally targeted Gateway for cuts.