NASA has decided to scrap its plans for a lunar orbit space station and will repurpose its components to build a $20 billion US base on the moon’s surface within the next seven years, as revealed by the agency’s new chief Jared Isaacman on Tuesday. Isaacman, who assumed office in December, disclosed this information during a day-long event at NASA’s Washington headquarters, where he detailed several modifications being made to the agency’s primary moon initiative, Artemis.

Isaacman emphasized that the focus will now shift towards establishing infrastructure to sustain operations on the lunar surface, leading to the pause of the Lunar Gateway project in its current form. Originally intended as a space station in lunar orbit, the Lunar Gateway, which has already been substantially constructed with the help of contractors Northrop Grumman and Intuitive Machines subsidiary Lanteris Space Systems, will be repurposed for the lunar base, a task that presents various challenges.

Despite the complexities involved, Isaacman expressed confidence in repurposing existing equipment and leveraging international partner commitments to align with the objectives of surface operations and other programs. The alterations introduced by Isaacman to the flagship US moon program in recent weeks have triggered significant changes in contracts under the Artemis initiative, prompting companies to adapt swiftly as China advances towards its own planned moon landing in 2030.