Kamal Ghorui
The United States is racing back to the Moon, and this time it plans to stay. At a major agency event called Ignition, Nasa unveiled a sweeping new plan to return astronauts to the lunar surface, build a permanent base, and push deeper into space, in line with Donald Trump’s National Space Policy.Leading the charge is new Nasa administrator Jared Isaacman, who struck an urgent tone about the global space race. Isaacman said: “NASA is committed to achieving the near-impossible once again, to return to the Moon before the end of President Trump’s term, build a Moon base, establish an enduring presence, and do the other things needed to ensure American leadership in space. This is why it is essential we leave an event like Ignition with complete alignment on the national imperative that is our collective mission. The clock is running in this great-power competition, and success or failure will be measured in months, not years.“The plan marks a significant shift in how Nasa approaches lunar exploration. Rather than occasional flagship missions, the agency will move towards frequent, repeatable landings using more commercial and reusable systems. The first key milestone remains the Artemis programme, with Artemis III now expected in 2027, followed by regular missions, potentially every six months as capabilities improve.Nasa also confirmed it will scale back its current Gateway space station concept in favour of building practical infrastructure directly on the Moon. The goal is to support long-term human activity rather than short visits.According to Nasa Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya, the strategy will roll out in phases. “Today we are aligning NASA around the mission. On the Moon, we are shifting to a focused, phased architecture that builds capability landing by landing, incrementally, and in alignment with our industrial and international partners,” he said.The first phase will focus on testing technologies and increasing the number of robotic and cargo missions. The second phase will introduce early infrastructure, including semi-habitable systems and regular astronaut visits. The final phase aims to establish a continuous human presence, effectively turning the Moon into a long-term base with support from international partners.While the Moon is the immediate priority, Nasa is also planning changes closer to Earth. The ageing International Space Station (ISS) will eventually be replaced by a mix of government and commercially built platforms. Nasa intends to support a growing private space economy by allowing companies to develop modules that can later operate independently.The reforms will be rolled out over the coming months. If successful, Nasa believes the effort will not only return humans to the Moon but lay the groundwork for future missions to Mars and beyond.
