A U.S. Senate committee has directed NASA to build a permanent base on the Moon by 2030. It needs to be built faster than the Russians and Chinese can complete their own project. There are several options for where it could be built.
Conquering the Moon
A U.S. Senate committee has decided that NASA should build a base on the Moon. In the document, which is currently only in draft form, the timeline for achieving this goal is described as “as soon as possible.” However, the point is that astronauts are expected to set foot on the surface of our moon as early as 2028, and the first module should be in place by 2030.
However, all of this depends on whether Congress passes the NASA Authorization Act in 2026. This document prioritizes funding for certain space programs and requires the space agency to achieve its objectives.
And among them is undoubtedly a program to explore the Moon. Ever since the launch of the Artemis program in 2017 — and even before that — there has been constant talk that the United States should not only return to the Moon but also begin building a permanent base there.
However, in practice, there has been a lack of money — or perhaps a lack of will — to carry out all these plans. But now U.S. officials are increasingly concerned that their country could lose its leadership position by losing the space race to the Russians or the Chinese, who also have similar programs.
Where should it be built?
However, NASA officials have not yet decided on the location or the basic design concept. The main idea is to build an outpost near the Moon’s south pole. This will solve the main problem: the cycle of 14 days of light and 14 days of darkness, which makes it difficult to use solar panels for power.
At the South Pole, due to the tilt of the Earth’s axis, there are many more sunny days in the cycle. However, there is a second, equally important factor: the bottoms of some large craters may contain water ice, which is critical to the base’s operations.
That is why it is proposed to build the facility either at Shackleton Crater or on Mons Mouton. However, there are also entirely different plans. Some suggest looking near the equator of our moon instead of the south pole. They offer better protection against radiation and meteorites. However, they have virtually no water.
According to phys.org
