WASHINGTON — NASA announced plans for three uncrewed missions to the moon later this year that will serve as early steps toward the long-term goal of building a permanent base on the lunar surface. The three missions—Moon Base I, Moon Base II, and Moon Base III—are all slated to launch by the end of 2026.

Moon Base I is targeted for launch no earlier than fall 2026 and will use Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 Endurance lander to deliver NASA payloads. The lander will touch down on the Shackleton Connecting Ridge to demonstrate capabilities that reduce risk for future crewed Artemis landing missions in 2028. NASA awarded Blue Origin a contract to carry two science and technology payloads on this mission.

Moon Base II is planned for launch later in 2026 and will deliver more than 1,100 pounds of cargo on Astrobotic’s Griffin lander, including Astrolab’s FLIP rover. Moon Base III, also scheduled for 2026, will fly the first payload selected through NASA’s Payloads and Research Investigations on the Surface of the Moon initiative. Its anchor investigation, called Lunar Vertex, will study lunar swirls to improve understanding of surface evolution and material behavior under extreme conditions. Moon Base III will also include payloads from the European Space Agency and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the agency intends to take an iterative approach to lunar infrastructure. “We are not jumping right into the glass dome moon base.” Isaacman said. “We intend to take an iterative approach, sending a demand signal to industry for a lot of landers and rovers and tech demonstrations, and all the scientific payloads these missions can accommodate.” He added, “The Moon Base will be America’s and humanity’s first outpost on another celestial world.”

NASA’s moon base plans are meant to be executed in tandem with its Artemis return-to-the-moon program. The first phase of the base plan is expected to last through 2029. A second phase, from 2029 to 2032, will focus on assembling semi-permanent facilities for early habitation. By 2032, NASA aims to achieve a sustained presence on the lunar surface. NASA will host a news conference at 2 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, May 26, at its Headquarters in Washington to share Moon Base plans.