A Sustained Lunar Presence NSPC Report4220final
A Sustained Lunar Presence NSPC Report4220final
A Sustained Lunar Presence NSPC Report4220final
Sustained Lunar
Exploration and
Development
OVERVIEW
The Moon is the gateway to the solar system. A world equivalent to an entire continent that
human feet have touched only a few times. As Earth’s nearest planetary neighbor, the Moon
has profound potential to be a source of new scientific advances and economic growth. It is also
the best place for us to test our deep space systems and operations in preparation for the first
human mission to another planet: Mars. Over the next decade, the Artemis program will lay the
foundation for a sustained long-term presence on the lunar surface and use the Moon to
validate deep space systems and operations before embarking on the much farther voyage to
Mars.
Over the coming decades and generations, our presence will grow to use and develop the
extensive resources of the Moon, including its water and metal deposits. As the Moon unveils
her secrets, scientific interest continues to grow. In addition to enabling scientific understanding
of the formation of the Earth and the solar system through lunar geology and chemistry,
exploration of the Moon will enable ground-breaking scientific discoveries about the universe,
including through radio astronomy from the incredible vantage point of the far side of the Moon.
As in the skies and now low-Earth orbit, NASA’s scientific and exploration efforts lead the way
and economic development follows. The Artemis program will similarly enable commercial
opportunities on the lunar surface, beginning with the first U.S commercial lunar deliveries next
year.
The Moon is more than a physical destination. A core focus of Artemis is to extend the nation’s
geo-strategic and economic sphere to encompass the Moon with international partners and
private industry. The United States will build confidence among its commercial, U.S.
government, and international partners by leading the development of clear policy principles to
support civil space exploration with an initial emphasis on the Artemis program. Specifically, the
Everyone born after the year 2000 has always known a world where people have been living in
space. In this decade, we will all see humans walking on the Moon again – this is the Artemis
Generation. Artemis, the twin sister of Apollo, will put in place the key infrastructure on and
around the Moon that will be built upon and leveraged for generations to come.
Americans will return to the Moon in 2024. Following this 2024 landing, we will develop a
sustained, strategic presence at the lunar South Pole called the Artemis Base Camp. Our
activities at our Artemis Base Camp over the next decade will pave the way for long-term
economic and scientific activity at the Moon, as well as for the first human mission to Mars in the
2030s.
Starting next year, a steady stream of robotic precursors and technology demonstrations will
begin lunar operations. The Moon is a fundamental part of our planet’s past and future.
Although Americans first walked on its surface more than 50 years ago, our explorers left only
fleeting footprints at a few sites, spending a total of 16 days on the lunar surface. These
missions were all in the equatorial region, with a total traverse of less than 100kms (~62 miles)
– on a body whose surface area is the size of Africa.
This next wave of lunar exploration will be fundamentally different. It starts with American
expeditions to the vicinity of the Moon in 2023, and landing astronauts on the surface in 2024.
This will be the first chance for most people alive today to witness a human lunar encounter and
landing – a moment when, in awe and wonder, the world holds its breath. America will not stop
there – this will be the opening chapter of a new era of discovery and exploration.
Figure 3: Image Above: The dark blue and purple areas at the Moon’s poles indicate neutron emissions that are consistent with
hydrogen-rich deposits covered by desiccated regolith. These hydrogen signatures are possible indications of water in the form of
water or hydrated minerals. Feldman et al., Science, 281, 1496, 1998.
After Artemis III, the overall plan is to conduct operations on and around the Moon that help
prepare us for the mission durations and activities that we will experience during the first human
mission to Mars, while also emplacing and building the infrastructure, systems, and robotic
Figure 6: Artemis Base Camp evolves on the surface as the Gateway is leveraged for Mars preparation.
In addition to establishing Artemis Base Camp, another core element of the sustained lunar
presence that feeds forward to Mars will be the expansion of habitation and related support
systems at the Gateway. This evolution of the Gateway’s systems to include large-volume deep
space habitation would allow our astronauts to test, initially in lunar orbit, how they will live on
their voyage to and from Mars. Gateway can also support our first Mars mission analogs on the
lunar surface. For such a mission, we currently envision a four-person crew traveling to the
Gateway and living aboard the outpost for a multi-month stay to simulate the outbound trip to
Mars, followed by two crew travelling down to and exploring the lunar surface with the habitable
mobility platform, while the remaining two crew stay aboard. The four crew are then reunited at
the Gateway for another multi-month stay, simulating the return trip to Earth, before landing
Whenever the first human mission to Mars occurs, it will not mean that we are done with the
Moon. The windows for launching the two-year mission to Mars open up every few years, and
we will continue to conduct human missions to the lunar surface to test systems, conduct
scientific investigations, and continue to develop our sustainable lunar presence as we prepare
for the optimal launch window.
We will continue to explore the Moon indefinitely -- leveraging robotic deliveries provided by
CLPS providers, longer duration human missions, and commercial and international
The success of the first human mission to Mars requires a voyage of stunning technological and
operational complexity. The distance from Earth to the Moon is a relatively manageable 250,000
miles. In contrast, Mars is, on average, 140 million miles from Earth. The challenges of a
mission to Mars are compounded not only by these distances but by the more dangerous levels
and types of radiation that is found in deep space. Mars’ atmosphere – while intriguing from a
scientific perspective – also presents distinct challenges for getting humans to and from its
surface.
Artemis and the development of Artemis Base Camp will inspire the
world with the ability and commitment of American leadership, and in
the positive potential of humanity as a whole. If we are to leave a
legacy of greatness, hope, limitless opportunity, and growth to future
generations, then it is a mission we cannot afford to postpone.