NASA Ditches Moon Gateway for Lunar Base

NASA Ditches Moon Gateway for Lunar Base

NASA has officially announced a major shift in its Artemis program, moving away from the planned Lunar Gateway space station. Instead, the agency is focusing all its resources on building a permanent lunar base, a move that aligns with SpaceX’s ambitious plans for lunar exploration and resource utilization.

Starship Progress Continues Amidst Big Announcements

Behind the scenes, SpaceX continues its rapid development of Starship. Test tanks, like B18.3 and S39.1, are undergoing rigorous stress tests, pushing their limits to ensure design integrity. Booster 19 is preparing for the installation of its 33 Raptor engines, while Ship 39 is nearing completion with the addition of vacuum Raptor engines. The Gigafactory in Florida is also expanding, with new cladding sections arriving and the roof for Pad 2 now firmly in place, proudly displaying the sign “GATEWAY TO MARS.” The Florida site is seeing a complete rework of its layout, including new footings and a flattened ground surface, likely to improve working conditions and prepare for future launch mounts.

SpaceX’s TERAFAB: A Lunar Chip Manufacturing Dream

In a startling announcement, SpaceX, in partnership with xAI and Tesla, revealed plans for TERAFAB. This project aims to build the world’s largest chip manufacturing facility, a staggering 100 million square feet, potentially located on the Moon. The goal is to produce the immense computing power—a target of 1 terawatt annually—needed for SpaceX’s constellation plans, Tesla’s Optimus robots, and its self-driving fleet. This ambitious undertaking would require launching 10 million tons of material into orbit each year, with future plans even suggesting manufacturing satellites on the lunar surface using mass drivers. While the logistical challenges of extracting raw materials and establishing an industrial chain on the Moon are immense, the vision is to create a compute capacity 5000% greater than what is currently available worldwide.

NASA’s Artemis Program Reimagined: A Lunar Base Takes Priority

NASA’s recent “Ignition event” detailed a significant pivot for the Artemis program. The agency is abandoning the Lunar Gateway and its Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO) requirement, which had been criticized for radiation hazards and mission planning complexities. All efforts are now directed toward building a step-by-step lunar base. This new strategy is divided into three phases:

• Phase 1 (2024-2028): Focuses on landing 21 missions to the lunar surface, delivering 4 metric tons of payload. This includes Commercial Lunar Payload Services missions and a crewed mission with a Human Landing System. A lunar communication network with over 500 Mbps throughput will also be developed. Research will target Shackleton Crater for its potential water ice and permanently shadowed regions, requiring robust power systems. Lunar Terrain Vehicles, like VIPER, and Moonfall drones capable of hopping up to 1 kilometer, will be deployed. This phase has a budget of $10 billion.
• Phase 2 (2029-2032): Aims to expand capabilities and prepare for the moon base, with two crewed missions annually. This phase will deliver 60 metric tons of payload to the surface, utilizing nuclear radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) for power. A 15-ton pressurized rover, built in collaboration with JAXA, will serve as a mobile habitat for astronauts, alongside excavator rovers for site preparation. The budget remains at $10 billion.
• Phase 3 (2033-2036): Targets a semi-permanent presence, increasing lander payloads to 8 tons. This phase includes habitat modules, fission surface power, in-situ resource utilization capabilities, and cargo return missions. A colossal 150 tons of payload will be delivered to the surface. This phase has an increased budget of over $10 billion.

Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Future Uncertain

With the focus shifting to the Moon, NASA is re-evaluating its presence in Low Earth Orbit. The International Space Station (ISS) is nearing the end of its life, and NASA now doubts the commercial market alone can sustain a U.S. human presence in LEO without significant agency funding. While they plan to continue private astronaut missions and open commander seats to paying customers, only one contract will be awarded under the Commercial LEO Destinations program, a decision that carries inherent risk. NASA is also exploring docking commercial station modules with the ISS before its deorbit to gain operational experience and facilitate a smoother transition.

Nuclear Electric Propulsion Takes Flight

In another ambitious move, NASA plans to launch Space Reactor-1 Freedom by 2028. This mission will test nuclear electric propulsion in deep space, heading to Mars and potentially beyond. It will repurpose hardware from the Gateway’s Power and Propulsion Element. Upon arrival at Mars, it will deploy a fleet of Ingenuity-style helicopters for aerial exploration.

SpaceX and ISS Missions

SpaceX had a relatively quiet week for Falcon 9 launches, with two Starlink missions deployed. The International Space Station received a resupply with the Progress MS-33 launch, carrying over 2.5 tons of cargo. Despite a minor issue with a rendezvous antenna, the spacecraft successfully docked with manual assistance from a cosmonaut.

Source: They Want 5000% More… Of WHAT Exactly? (YouTube)