NASA announced it is shifting priorities to ensure it meets President Donald Trump’s goals before the end of his term. The announcement, part of NASA’s “Ignition” event, declared that the space agency is “committed to achieving the near‑impossible once again.”
“Returning to the moon and building a base will seem pale in comparison,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated at the event when revealing the new directive. He detailed that the updated “National Space Policy” includes accelerating preparations for America’s return to the moon, with specific missions aimed at establishing an American base on the lunar surface.
“Return to the moon before the end of President Trump’s term, build a moon base, establish an enduring presence, and do the other things needed to ensure American leadership in space,” Isaacman said. The administrator added, “If we concentrate NASA’s extraordinary resources on the objectives of the National Space Policy, clear away needless obstacles that impede progress, and unleash the workforce and industrial might of our nation and partners, then returning to the moon and building a base will seem pale in comparison to what we will be capable of accomplishing in the years ahead.”
NASA’s plan also encompasses nuclear-powered space exploration. The agency stated it will launch Space Reactor-1 Freedom, a “nuclear powered interplanetary spacecraft,” on a mission to Mars before 2028. Once the craft reaches Mars, it will deploy another vehicle called Skyfall, which will then drop Ingenuity-class helicopters—tissue-box-size aircraft designed to explore the Red Planet’s surface.
Additionally, NASA intends to launch a “nuclear-powered octocopter” in 2028, with an expected arrival at Saturn’s moon Titan by 2034. This mission will be conducted using Dragonfly, described as another fully autonomous nuclear-powered craft.
These ambitious projects face significant time constraints, as NASA’s current lunar missions have already fallen years behind schedule. The Artemis II crewed lunar orbit test, initially slated for late 2024, now has a launch date of April 1. This delay pushed the Artemis III mission to mid-2027, where it no longer includes a lunar landing. That responsibility has been reassigned to Artemis IV, with an early 2028 launch target. Artemis V is scheduled for another lunar landing by the end of 2028, when NASA previously stated it expects to begin constructing its moon base.
The agency’s phased approach includes: phase one sending “rovers, instruments, and technology demonstrations” to the moon; phase two establishing early surface infrastructure with Japan’s pressurized rover; and phase three utilizing Canada’s Lunar Utility Vehicle and Italy’s “Multi-purpose Habitats” to build a permanent lunar base.
