NASA Shifts Focus from Gateway to Lunar Base with $20B Plan for Human Presence on Moon

The space agency NASA announced changes in its Moon exploration strategy. Amid preparations for the manned mission of the Artemis program, whose launch is expected soon, the agency decided to adjust its approach to creating infrastructure in the orbit and on the surface of Earth's satellite.

What We Know

NASA is putting the Gateway project on pause — the orbital station around the Moon, which was developed as an international platform to support missions on the surface and in deep space. Previously, this project was already among the programs that could face budget cuts.

Instead, the agency plans to focus on creating a lunar base. The project's cost is estimated at around $20 billion. According to NASA administrator Jared Isaacman, the new approach involves deploying the long-term presence of humans on the Moon.

The implementation plan consists of three stages. The first involves delivering scientific equipment and rovers to the Moon as part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. The second stage is the creation of basic infrastructure with the participation of astronauts and international partners. The third stage includes developing full-fledged infrastructure for extended missions, including residential modules and vehicles.

Starting from the Artemis V mission, currently planned for 2028, NASA expects to conduct regular manned flights to the Moon with a frequency of about once every six months.

The Comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresak Changed Its Rotation

The research, describing the change in the rotation direction of comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresak, was published in the scientific journal The Astronomical Journal. Observations were conducted in 2017 with intervals of several months.

According to data obtained with the help of the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, in May 2017, the comet's rotation period was approximately 46–60 hours. Later observations conducted with the Hubble Space Telescope recorded a decrease in this parameter to about 14 hours.

Researchers explain this by the Sun's influence: due to the heat, ice sublimation occurs, leading to gas ejections from the comet's surface. Such jets create a reactive effect that can change the speed and direction of its rotation.

The comet has a nucleus size of about 1 km and completes an orbit around the Sun approximately every 5.4 years. Scientists estimate that it could have been on this orbit for about 1500 years.

The Webb and Hubble Telescopes Showcase New Images of Saturn

NASA, along with ESA and the Canadian Space Agency, published new images of Saturn acquired in 2024.

The images were taken with the James Webb Space Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope. They showcase details of the planet's atmosphere, including the structure of clouds at different altitudes, atmospheric storms, and jet streams.

The released materials also capture characteristic atmospheric phenomena, including bands and wave structures in the planet's gaseous layers.

Source: NASA