Delivery to Humanity's First Permanent Moon Base Could Launch This Year

NASA expects the first launch for its south-pole Moon base by the end of 2026, but AP names Astrobotic's lander while NASA's May schedule named Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 1, whose rocket has been grounded since a May explosion.

TL;DR

NASA says the first launch for a permanent American base near the Moon's south pole is expected by the end of this year, roughly two months from now. What nobody has settled in public is which company's robot lander carries it. An Associated Press account of NASA's Oct. 24 briefing names Pittsburgh's Astrobotic; NASA's own May schedule named Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 1, whose rocket has been grounded since it exploded in May. For anyone hoping to see people live on the Moon rather than just visit, the base's start may now hinge on which company's hardware is ready first, and the same delays could squeeze the first crewed landing since 1972, planned for 2028.

Below the line, for paid subscribers: The full story: where it stands, how we got here and what's dated next; our Odds board on 6 milestones, starting with "The first Moon Base mission launches by 2026"; and every source.