NASA picks a rover called PROMISE to scout the Moon's south pole for its planned base

The stories

5 on this beat today.

Every story told the same way: what happened, who is involved, why it matters, how it works, the truth and the good news.

1. 01

   NASA picks a rover called PROMISE to scout the Moon's south pole for its planned base

   late 2028

   when PROMISE should land near the Moon's south pole

   it rides down on a Blue Origin lander [1]

   18 months

   the length of PROMISE's first mission on the Moon

   it carries a drill to study the Moon's dust and rock [1]

   6 tonnes

   the cargo NASA wants each next-round Moon lander to carry

   Blue Origin, SpaceX and Lockheed Martin are among the companies picked for that round [1]

   What happened

   • NASA said on Saturday it will send a rover called PROMISE to the Moon's south pole. [1]
   • It will land on a Blue Origin lander in late 2028. [1] Its first mission there will last 18 months. [1]
   • NASA announced it at Max Power, its first air show, at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. [1][4]
   • It will carry a drill and tools to study the Moon's dust, rock and radiation. [1]
   • Nicky Fox, NASA's head of science, called PROMISE a scout for Moon Base, NASA's planned outpost there. [1]
   • She said it will also look for useful resources near the south pole. [1]
   • NASA plans to use a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket to help carry drones called MoonFall to the Moon. [1]
   • The drones will hop around the south pole and send data back before crews go there. [1]
   • That region has seen relatively little exploration. [1]
   • CLPS, short for Commercial Lunar Payload Services, is how NASA buys Moon deliveries from companies. [1]
   • Carlos Garcia-Galan, who runs Moon Base, said CLPS will reach 22 lander orders by the end of 2026. [1]
   • He said 6 more orders went out under a second scheme, called VADER. [1]
   • They include satellites from Intuitive Machines to help set up radio and navigation links at the Moon. [1]
   • A next round, CLPS 2.0, wants landers that can carry up to 6 tonnes each. [1]
   • Companies picked for it include Blue Origin, SpaceX, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Intuitive Machines. [1]
   • SpaceX's Starlink will test radio links over longer distances. [1] Such tests could later lead to a contract to buy the service, Garcia-Galan said. [1]

   Who is involved

   PROMISE stands for Polar Rover for Observation, Mapping and In-Situ Exploration. [1] It is modelled on Perseverance and Curiosity, NASA's Mars rovers. [1]

   James Keane, a planetary scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, will lead the mission. [1]

   Jared Isaacman, NASA's chief, said such missions help NASA learn a place it has not visited in a long time. [1]

   • PROMISE a Moon rover built like NASA's Mars rovers
   • James Keane planetary scientist, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
   • Jared Isaacman the head of NASA; he says NASA aims to land astronauts on the Moon at the end of 2028
   • Nicky Fox NASA's head of science; she called PROMISE a scout for Moon Base
   • Carlos Garcia-Galan the NASA manager in charge of its Moon Base programme; he set out the landers, drones and orders
   • Blue Origin Jeff Bezos's space company; its lander carries PROMISE and its New Glenn rocket the drones

   How it unfolded

   In April, the Artemis II crew flew around the Moon and back. [2]

   They went farther from Earth than any people before them. [1]

   1. April Artemis II flies its crew around the Moon [2]
   2. 2027 Artemis III practises docking with Moon landers near Earth [3]
   3. 2028 Artemis IV tries to land
   4. 7 Nov NASA names PROMISE at its Max Power air show [1][4]
   5. Late 2028 PROMISE lands near the south pole [1]

   Why it matters

   NASA wants rovers and other equipment already on the Moon when its crews arrive. [1]

   Isaacman says NASA aims to land at the end of 2028, and China by the end of 2029. [3]

   How it works

   Economists call this a make-or-buy choice: own the machine, or pay a company to run it. [1]

   Under CLPS, companies supply the landers, and NASA places orders for its cargo. [1]

   Seen it before

   A family moving house once rents a van for a day instead of buying one.

   The truth

   • What is really going on NASA used its first air show, Max Power, to name PROMISE, a rover that will land near the Moon's south pole in late 2028, and to open an astronaut search. [1][2]Across the day, NASA is buying services from companies instead of owning the machines: Moon deliveries, and the radio links its old TDRS satellites now carry. [1][6]
   • Why it works on people A race with a date on it, NASA at the end of 2028 against China by the end of 2029, makes each new plan sound like a step toward winning. [3]
   • The 2 landers Artemis III will test are not yet proven for the job. [1] NASA's inspector general, its internal watchdog, has raised that as a possible roadblock. [1]
   • Who gains Blue Origin — Two parts of NASA's Moon Base plan, the rover's landing and the drones' ride, depend on its hardware. [1]
   • Who gains Companies picked for CLPS 2.0 — They are in line for NASA's next round of heavier Moon delivery orders. [1]
   • Who pays US taxpayers — Isaacman wants NASA's giant SLS rocket to launch at least once a year, paid for with public money. [3]
   • Nobody knows yet

     When Artemis III will fly.

     Scientific American says early 2027, and AP says next summer. [1][2]

   • Nobody knows yet

     How much PROMISE will cost NASA.

     Scientific American's report of the announcement gives no price for the rover. [1]

   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether the Moon landers will be ready for a landing in 2028.

     Artemis III, the flight meant to test docking with them near Earth, has not flown yet. [3]

   What comes next

   Artemis III will fly near Earth in 2027 to test docking with one or both new landers. [3]

   Artemis IV, the year after, will try to land 2 astronauts near the south pole. [2]

1. 02

   NASA opens a new astronaut search

   What happened

   • NASA opened applications for a new class of astronauts on Saturday, its first call in 2 years. [2]
   • People can apply until 3 December, and NASA will pick the class by late 2027. [2]

   Who is involved

   Applicants must be US citizens with a master's degree in science, technology, engineering or maths. [5]

   Applicants also need 3 years of work in their field, or, for pilots, 1,000 hours in command of an aircraft. [5]

   How it unfolded

   Last time, more than 8,000 people applied and 10 were chosen, in September 2025. [2]

   Only 370 people have been picked as NASA astronaut candidates since the first group, in 1959. [5]

   1. 3 Dec applications close
   2. Late 2027 the class is picked
   3. Then training begins

   Why it matters

   NASA has only 32 active astronauts. [2] "We have far more work than we have astronauts," said Randy Bresnik, Artemis III's commander. [2]

   NASA will need crews for the space station, future private stations and the Moon. [5]

   How it works

   Workforce planners call this lead time: the gap between needing people and having them ready. [2]

   People picked in late 2027 face 2 years of required training, and then may wait several more years to fly. [2]

   Seen it before

   A school team picks next season's players early, because new players need a season of practice first.

   Why NASA buys Moon deliveries instead of owning the landers

   When many customers need the same ride or radio link, one company can serve them all, so renting it can cost less than owning.

   The twist

   Economists call it a make-or-buy choice. A company that sells the same delivery to many customers spreads one lander's cost across all of them.

   The picture

   Viasat$460.90 million

   SES$340.40 million

   Astranis$264.30 million

   Step by step

   1. 1 NASA needs a job done in space
   2. 2 A company builds a machine for that job
   3. 3 It sells the same job to many customers
   4. 4 Each customer pays for a share, not the whole machine
   5. 5 NASA rents the service and owns less itself

   The same force, elsewhere today

   Where this chain is also running, in today's other stories.

   • NASA buys a successor to its relay satellites

     NASA is retiring the relay satellites it owns and paying Viasat, SES and Astranis to build a radio service it will buy instead.

   • NASA opens a new astronaut search

     NASA plans to send its astronauts to private space stations, so it would pay for places on stations that companies run.

   Where you've seen this

   Cloud computing

   firms rent computer time in big data centres instead of buying their own servers

   City travel

   many people pay per bus or taxi ride instead of owning a car

   Small shops

   a shop pays a delivery firm per parcel instead of running its own vans

   The catch

   Buying works only while someone is selling. If the only seller stops, the buyer has no machine of its own to fall back on.

   And the whole of it

   PROMISE's ride to the Moon, a future astronaut's place on a private station and the space station's radio links each depend on a company's own plans and money. NASA sees its own orders, and only part of what each company is weighing.

   The truth

   • Frank Rubio, an Artemis III astronaut, says time on the Moon would be about 1% of the job. [2]
   • Who gains Companies building private space stations — NASA plans to send its astronauts to future private stations, which would make NASA their customer. [5]
   • Nobody knows yet

     How many new astronauts NASA will choose.

     The call for applications gives no number of places, and the last class had 10. [5]

   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether the space station will keep flying past 2030.

     Isaacman has only said he is considering it, if no private station is ready in time. [5]

   Good news

   • NASA is hiring astronauts again, for the first time in two years, and anyone who meets its rules can apply until 3 December.
   • NASA's last astronaut class, picked in 2025, was the first with more women than men.

1. 03

   NASA buys a successor to its relay satellites

   What happened

   • On 4 November, NASA chose 3 companies to build a successor to its TDRS relay satellites. [6]
   • The deals are worth up to $1.065 billion in all. [6]
   • Viasat could get up to $460.9 million, SES $340.4 million and Astranis $264.3 million. [6]
   • NASA has decided to retire the TDRS fleet slowly and buy services from companies instead. [6]

   Who is involved

   TDRS satellites sit high above Earth and pass radio signals between spacecraft and the ground. [6]

   How it unfolded

   Work on the network began in 1973. [6] A space shuttle crew put the first one in orbit in 1983. [6]

   1. 1973 work begins
   2. 1983 first one in orbit

   Why it matters

   Some spacecraft already in orbit cannot swap their radios, so they need a service on the same band, called Ka-band. [6]

   How it works

   Buyers call this a fixed-price contract with options: NASA chooses whether to fund each next step. [6]

   The first stage, design and risk checks, runs to 3 May 2027. [6] NASA can then pay for a test flight, with options to 2029. [6]

   Seen it before

   A phone plan that lets you try one month before signing for a year works the same way.

   NASA is retiring the relay satellites it owns and paying Viasat, SES and Astranis to build a radio service it will buy instead.

   The idea, in story 02: Why NASA buys Moon deliveries instead of owning the landers →

   The truth

   • The $1.065 billion is a ceiling: NASA pays it only if it takes up every option. [6]
   • Who gains Viasat, SES and Astranis — NASA money pays for their design work, and possibly a test flight, on a service NASA will then buy. [6]
   • Who pays New NASA missions — Since November 2024 the old TDRS network has not been able to take on any new mission. [6]
   • Who pays The space station and the Hubble telescope — Both still depend on the 7 working TDRS satellites until those are retired. [6]
   • Nobody knows yet

     When the old TDRS satellites will be switched off.

     Aviation Week says they will serve the space station and Hubble until they are retired, and gives no date. [6]

   • Nobody knows yet

     Which of the 3 relay companies will reach a test flight.

     Each contract pays for design work first, and NASA decides later whether to fund a flight. [6]

2. 04

   Names can ride to Titan on Dragonfly

   What happened

   • NASA is collecting people's names to fly to Titan, a moon of Saturn, on its Dragonfly mission. [7]
   • The names go on a chip fitted while the craft is built, and must be in before 15 January 2027. [7]
   • It should launch in 2028 and reach Titan in 2034. [7]
   • Titan has air, rivers, lakes, dunes and plenty of carbon-rich material, NASA says. [7]

   Who is involved

   Dragonfly is a nuclear-powered flying craft about the size of a big car. [7]

   How it unfolded

   The first craft to fly on another world was Ingenuity, a small helicopter on Mars. [7] It was built for 5 flights and made 72. [7]

   1. Late Oct names open
   2. 15 Jan 2027 names close

   Why it matters

   Dragonfly will fly between sites miles apart, looking for the chemistry that can come before life. [7]

   The truth

   • Space.com says the 2034 visit will happen "if all goes according to plan." [7]
3. 05

   Exmoor's dark skies draw stargazers

   What happened

   • Exmoor, a national park in south-west England, held its 10th dark-skies festival through October. [8]
   • Astronomers and ecologists led families through telescope views, fireside question sessions and night walks. [8]

   Who is involved

   Exmoor was the first place in Europe named an international dark-sky reserve. [8]

   How it unfolded

   Research shows the night sky gets about 10% brighter each year from artificial light, the Guardian reports. [8]

   The UK is the 14th most light-polluted country in Europe, by the Light Pollution Map. [8]

   Why it matters

   Darkness matters to wildlife too: rare bats on Exmoor use it to hunt and find their way. [8]

   How it works

   Astronomers grade darkness on the Bortle scale, from 1 for the darkest places to 9 for a city centre. [8]

   Exmoor's darkest zone scores 2. [8] At 1, astronomer Peter Richardson says, the Milky Way's dust lanes show to the naked eye. [8]

   Seen it before

   A torch shone in your eyes hides the room behind it. A lit town hides the stars the same way.

   The truth

   • Who pays Exmoor's salmon — Artificial light confuses salmon swimming upstream to spawn, so fewer survive, ecologist Kate Lacey says. [8]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Who measured the night sky getting 10% brighter each year.

     The Guardian cites research for the figure but does not name the study. [8]

   Good news

   • Peter Richardson and his wife Jo run Space Detectives, a space club. [8] He says some of its children now work as professional astronomers. [8]