NASA on Tuesday revealed it aims to announce over a dozen unmanned moon base space missions by the end of 2026, as part of its sweeping initiative to plant “humanity’s first outpost beyond Earth” on the lunar surface. 

Officials said the first three moon base missions are targeted to launch before the end of 2026. The first, touted as “the first privately funded lunar lander mission in history,” is expected to launch around the fall. Around a dozen others will be detailed in the coming months, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said during a press briefing. Officials hailed the recently completed Artemis II mission as the foundation that served as a “comprehensive test of NASA’s capabilities,” validating plans to build a base on the moon by proving it has the fundamentals necessary to proceed with space exploration.