{"id":54828,"date":"2026-05-29T06:25:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T06:25:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/54828\/"},"modified":"2026-05-29T06:25:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T06:25:08","slug":"the-tesla-and-spacex-merger-everyone-is-talking-about-is-quietly-building","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/54828\/","title":{"rendered":"The Tesla and SpaceX merger everyone is talking about is quietly building"},"content":{"rendered":"

NASA has laid out its most detailed Moon Base plan to date, describing a permanent outpost near the Moon\u2019s south pole that the agency intends to build over the coming decade as a direct stepping stone to Mars. \u201cThe Moon Base will be America\u2019s and humanity\u2019s first outpost on another celestial world,\u201d NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said<\/a>, adding that every mission crewed and uncrewed \u201cwill be a learning opportunity as we return to the lunar surface, build the infrastructure to stay, and master the skills required to live and operate in one of the most demanding and dangerous environments imaginable.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

The plan is structured in three phases involving both uncrewed and crewed missions to deliver equipment, vehicles, and infrastructure to the surface, with the first three moon base missions targeted to launch before the end of 2026.\n<\/p>\n

Moon Base I, targeting fall 2026, will use Blue Origin\u2019s Blue Moon Mark 1 lander to deliver scientific instruments to the Shackleton Connecting Ridge, the same region where Artemis astronauts will land. Moon Base II will send Astrobotic\u2019s Griffin lander carrying more than 1,100 pounds of cargo including Astrolab\u2019s FLIP rover to begin developing mobility systems on the surface. Moon Base III will carry the Lunar Vertex science mission on Intuitive Machines\u2019 Nova-C Trinity lander to study lunar swirls near the south pole, with ESA and Korean science payloads aboard.\n<\/p>\n

Elon Musk pivots SpaceX plans to Moon base before Mars<\/a><\/p>\n

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On the rover side, NASA awarded Astrolab $219 million and Lunar Outpost $220 million to build the first phase of Lunar Terrain Vehicles, with both rovers targeted for deployment to the lunar surface by 2028. Astrolab\u2019s crewed rover weighs roughly 2,000 pounds and can reach over 6 mph. Lunar Outpost\u2019s Pegasus rover can operate autonomously or via remote control at over 9 mph. Blue Origin separately received $188 million with an option worth $280.4 million to deliver cargo landers for rover transport.\n<\/p>\n

NASA also confirmed that MoonFall, a mission deploying four survey drones to scout Artemis landing sites, has selected Firefly Aerospace to build the transport spacecraft, with a 2028 launch target.\n<\/p>\n

SpaceX sits at the center of that commercial layer. SpaceX holds the NASA Human Landing System contract<\/a> for the Starship-derived lander that will put astronauts on the surface under Artemis IV, currently targeting 2028. Before that can happen, SpaceX must demonstrate in-orbit propellant transfer at scale, a process requiring multiple Starship tanker launches to fuel a single mission. Water ice at the lunar south pole is central to the base\u2019s long-term viability, as it can be converted into drinking water, breathable oxygen, and rocket fuel, directly reducing dependence on Earth resupply. That resource loop becomes far more practical if Starship can land and be refueled on or near the Moon itself.<\/p>\n

Elon Musk has publicly stated that Starship V3, which recently completed its first flight, should be capable enough for initial Mars missions. The Moon Base plan announced Tuesday is the infrastructure layer that connects everything between those two ambitions, and SpaceX is the only American company currently contracted to build the rocket that gets humans to either destination.\n<\/p>\n

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