Artemis Moonbase: NASA’s Plan for a Permanent Human Presence on the Moon

On April 10, 2026, Artemis II splashed down after a crewed lunar flyby lasting nine days, one hour, and 32 minutes, giving NASA its first astronaut mission around the Moon since Apollo. That flight did not build an Artemis Moonbase, but it changed the status of the program from preparation to operational experience with the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System. The base concept now sits…