NASA to build $20 billion base on the Moon

(Patria) - The American space agency (NASA) is canceling plans to establish a space station in lunar orbit.

Instead, its components will be used to build a $20 billion base on the Moon's surface over the next seven years.

This information was announced today at the opening of an all-day event at NASA headquarters in Washington by the new head of NASA, Jared Isaacman, who took office in December.

Isaacman also provided information about a series of changes he is introducing to the agency's flagship lunar program, Artemis.

"It should surprise no one that we are halting Gateway in its current form and focusing on infrastructure that supports sustainable operations on the lunar surface," said Isaacman.

The Lunar Gateway station, largely already built with contractors Northrop Grumman and Vantor, formerly known as Maxar, was intended to be a space station in lunar orbit.

To build a sustained human presence on the Moon, we are building @NASAMoonBase, prioritizing surface operations and scalable infrastructure.

- Frequent robotic landings and mobility testing including MoonFall drones
- Starting in 2027 nearly monthly cadence of equipment and… pic.twitter.com/3T00Y450kO

— NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman (@NASAAdmin) March 24, 2026

Repurposing the spacecraft for a base on the Moon's surface is not simple.

"Despite some very real hardware and design challenges, we are able to repurpose equipment and international partner commitments to support surface and other program objectives," Isaacman points out.

The Lunar Gateway was designed to serve as both a research platform and a transfer station that astronauts would use to board lunar lander modules before descending to its surface.

The changes Isaacman has introduced in recent weeks to the US flagship Moon landing program are reshaping multi-billion dollar contracts within the agency's Artemis program.

This is an incentive for companies to try to adapt to the emerging emergency situation as China advances towards its own lunar landing in 2030.