Black Card
NASA's $20 billion Moon base will feature habitats, nuclear power, and pressurized rovers, but notably will not include ___________.
Cards Against Artemis™
Dossier 04 of 10Unprecedented
The Moon Base.
NASA is building a permanent base on the Moon. With nuclear power, Italian habitats, and a Canadian truck. The space station they built for lunar orbit has been repurposed for parts. This is not a metaphor.
§ 1 — Lunar Surface Infrastructure
Building a Moon Base. For Real. With Nuclear Power and a Canadian Truck.
On March 24, 2026, NASA held an event called "Ignition" and announced a plan to invest approximately $20 billion over 7 years to build a permanent base near the lunar south pole. That's roughly $7.8 million per day.
The plan has three phases: Phase 1 (Build, Test, Learn) involves up to 30 robotic landings from 2027 onward. Phase 2 (2029–2032) involves 60,000 kg of payload over 27 launches and $10 billion in investment. Phase 3 is the full permanent base with habitats designed by ASI (Italy) and a Lunar Utility Vehicle from CSA (Canada).
Also announced: the Gateway lunar space station has been paused (canceled) and its components repurposed for surface operations. They built an entire space station for lunar orbit, and then decided to use it for parts. This is the most expensive IKEA return in history.
§ Play a Card
Your Turn.
Tap a white card to fill the blank. Click a filled blank to clear it.
↑ Tap a white card to play it
White Card
Played
“Cell service. That's phase 4.”
Cards Against Artemis™
White Card
Played
“A coffee shop. The nearest Starbucks is 384,400 km away.”
Cards Against Artemis™
White Card
Played
“Enough outlets for everyone’s laptops.”
Cards Against Artemis™