NASA has formally kicked off its massive $20 billion lunar base initiative, marking a major step in humanity’s return to the Moon. Just weeks after the successful Artemis II lunar flyby mission, the agency has begun commissioning advanced landers, robotic rovers, and aerial drones designed to support a large-scale Moon outpost. As part of the project’s initial phase, NASA awarded contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars to four American aerospace companies. The ambitious program comes at a time when China is rapidly expanding its own lunar ambitions, particularly around the Moon’s resource-rich south pole, intensifying what many now call the new space race. The mission aims to overcome enormous challenges, including extreme cold, dangerous radiation exposure, and the harsh lunar environment, while also reflecting the growing geopolitical competition for dominance beyond Earth.

Disclaimer: This video is taken from WION.