NASA starts Moon Base buildup with lander, rover and drone deals (opens in new tab)

NASA on Tuesday outlined the first phase of its Moon Base initiative, announcing contracts for lunar landers, crewed rovers and drones to support a long-term outpost near the lunar south pole. The plan, described in several accounts as a roughly $20 billion effort, calls for a sustained human presence, expanded science and commercial activity, with hardware deployments designed to reduce risk before planned Artemis astronaut landings as early as 2028. NASA said Blue Origin, Astrolab, Lunar Ou...