"This is when living and working on the Moon becomes a reality," NASA said about "humanity’s first lunar outpost."

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin​, Astrolab, Lunar Outpost and Firefly Aerospace are awarded with hundreds of millions of dollars in NASA contracts for the first phase of its moon base plans.

NASA announces three new Moon missions as part of its Moon Base program, aiming to establish a permanent human presence on the lunar surface by 2026.

NASA is launching uncrewed missions to transport lunar rovers and build a moon base at the lunar south pole before astronauts return to stay.

The FLEX Rover will be equipped to carry two astronauts and traverse hundreds of miles of lunar terrain.

The space agency outlined the first phase of its moon base plans on Tuesday, awarding hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts to four U.S. companies.

Despite the Blue Origin explosion setback for NASA this week, its plan to return to the moon took a giant leap forward, ordering rovers for its planned lunar base. Kris Van Cleave has more details.

NASA has unveiled a three-phase strategic roadmap to establish a permanent moon base spanning hundreds of square miles, starting with three foundational robotic missions targeted for completion by late 2026.

In 1963, NASA and General Motors designed a pressurized lunar truck capable of keeping two astronauts alive on the moon for two weeks, but budget cuts and the Vietnam War killed it before it ever left the ground.