Artemis V
Moon Base Construction Begins
The second crewed South Pole landing. A habitat, a nuclear reactor, and a rover are left behind — and humanity's permanent presence on the Moon officially begins.
Background: Lunar Terrain Vehicle concept · NASA
Surface stay
Up to 14 days
Crew on surface
2 astronauts
Landing site
South Pole region
Infrastructure
First habitat module
Power system
SR-1 Kilopower reactor
What Gets Left Behind
Three Permanent Deployments
Unlike any previous mission, Artemis V leaves infrastructure on the Moon that will be used for decades.
First Pressurized Surface Habitat Module
Artemis V will deploy the first pressurized habitat unit at the lunar South Pole. Initially used for storage and equipment staging, subsequent missions will expand it into the Multi-Purpose Habitat (MPH) — a livable structure for long-duration crews. This is the physical foundation of the future Moon Base.
SR-1 Kilopower Nuclear Reactor
The Kilopower Reactor Using Stirling Technology (KRUSTY) — also called the SR-1 — will be deployed on the Shackleton Crater rim to provide ~10 kilowatts of continuous electrical power. Solar panels alone can't reliably power a South Pole base through lunar nights and shadowed terrain. Nuclear power solves this permanently.
Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV)
The crew will test the first unpressurized Lunar Terrain Vehicle — an electric rover designed for surface mobility at the South Pole. The LTV will allow astronauts to travel 5–10 km from the base camp, dramatically expanding the science and exploration footprint. Future pressurized variants will support multi-day excursions.
Understanding Artemis V
The Bigger Picture
What's the difference between Artemis IV and Artemis V?
Artemis IV proves humans can safely land and survive at the South Pole. Artemis V is where permanent infrastructure construction formally begins. While Artemis IV is primarily exploration and sample collection, Artemis V deploys hardware that will remain on the Moon for years — the habitat, the reactor, and the rover are the first three permanent fixtures of what will become the Moon Base.
Why 14 days on the surface?
A lunar day is 29.5 Earth days, meaning the South Pole crater rim receives near-constant sunlight for weeks at a time. A 14-day stay is twice as long as any Apollo surface mission (the longest was Apollo 17 at 3 days). It's long enough to deploy meaningful infrastructure, conduct geological surveys, and validate long-duration life support — but still within the safety margin of the initial mission architecture.
How does this connect to the larger Moon Base plan?
Under the Ignition restructure, NASA committed $20 billion over seven years to build a permanent surface Moon Base at the South Pole. Artemis V is mission one of that construction campaign. Each subsequent Artemis mission (VI, VII, etc.) will add modules, power capacity, crew capacity, and capabilities — growing the base incrementally over the 2030s toward a permanent multi-person outpost.
Artemis V is just the beginning
After Artemis V, subsequent missions will expand the habitat, add crew quarters, build out a pressurized rover garage, and increase power capacity — growing the South Pole Moon Base through the 2030s into a permanent, multi-person outpost that serves as humanity's staging point for Mars.
Explore the full Moon Base planIn Their Words
On the Future
“This is not a flags-and-footprints mission. Artemis V is the first day of a permanent human presence on the Moon. Everything changes from here.”
Rajiv Bhutiani
NASA Exploration Systems Director
“The Moon Base doesn't begin when we flip a switch on some big opening day. It begins with the first habitat module, the first reactor, the first rover — and Artemis V delivers all three.”
Jared Isaacman
NASA Administrator, March 2026