NASA announced plans Tuesday to send three unmanned ships to the moon this year as it prepares to build the first ever lunar base. 

The flights will be fully robotic and will be known as Moon Base 1, Moon Base 2 and Moon Base 3. During the missions NASA plans to scout locations at the moon’s south pole, gather scientific data, test technologies and prepare for the return of its astronauts to the lunar surface.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the first flight, which will be led by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, will take place no earlier than the fall. The flight will carry two science and technology payloads to the moon using its lunar lander, NBC News reported.

“We are not jumping right into the glass dome moon base,” Isaacman said. “We intend to take an iterative approach, sending a demand signal to industry for a lot of landers and rovers and tech demonstrations, and all the scientific payloads these missions can accommodate.”

The second moon base mission will see a lander built by the Pennsylvania-based company Astrobotic transport more than 1,000 pounds of cargo and a moon rover to the lunar surface. The third will be purely scientific. 

All three missions are part of NASA's longer plan to build a lunar base, which it hopes to begin in 2029 and complete by 2032. The lunar base mission is expected to be completed alongside NASA's Artemis program, which seeks to return man to the moon.

The aerospace agency next aims to launch the Artemis III mission in 2027 and then conduct the Artemis IV mission to land astronauts on the moon in 2028. 

“For those waiting patiently, the grand return is close at hand, and we will not slow down,” Isaacman said.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.