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What the architecture says the Moon Base needs

Summary. The sources give Moon Base needs in detail only for Phase 1: 31 functions from the Architecture Definition Document (ADD) that the April 2026 Moon Base Users Guide lists as "Phase 01" functional gaps, in seven areas with capability targets (Users Guide, pp. 8–10). NASA's own tech-gap spreadsheet ties 17 technology gaps to 10 of those functions, and the guide's challenges cite only 4 of the 17; the guide's 19 tech gaps and 19 lunar data gaps are "near-term" work, started "with initial missions in phase one" to enable "essential phase two and phase three capabilities" (pp. 11–13; below). Phases 2 and 3 have the guide's goals, among them Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) payloads of 5 and then 8 metric tons (MT; the guide's "5MT" and "8MT", p. 4), a paragraph each on the web, a list of what each brings in the Building the Moon Base fact sheet, and capability tables by phase in the Moon Base Program's deck for Ignition, NASA's event of 24 March 2026 that announced the Moon Base (Ignition deck 2, slides 41–62), followed closely by NASA's Moon Base Systems page (Moon Base Systems); none of these cites a function or gap ID. ADD Rev C predates the Moon Base, and no source maps its segments to Moon Base phases. Since May 2026 a Moon Base Program is to write "an integrated lunar architecture and operations plan"; no source relates it to the ADD (below).

How to read this page

This page is a hub. It draws on Phases, Phase 1 functional gaps and Technology and knowledge challenges, and adds the links to gaps and elements. Detail stays on those pages.

Three kinds of link appear. Each table says which kind it uses.

  • Made by the Users Guide: its functional gaps, by function ID, and its challenges with their tech and data gaps.
  • Made by the tech-gap spreadsheet: each gap's "Architecture Traceability: Use Cases & Functions" field names lunar functions by ID. Where it names one of the guide's 31, NASA has tied that gap to a Phase 1 function. The spreadsheet (Dec 2025) doesn't mention the Moon Base.

  • Made by the wiki:

    • joins by function ID to ADD Appendix B.3 (which elements perform a function) and B.5 (functions no element performs)
    • "All FN" entries expanded from the lunar decomposition spreadsheet
    • pairings by subject: Phase 1 items in the fact sheet, Ignition deck 2 and the Moon Base Systems page against the guide's Phase 1 targets, and Phase 2 and 3 items against Phase 1 needs

    Each is labeled where it appears.

The guide's three time scopes. The page keeps them apart:

What Time scope, in the guide's words
31 functional gaps Headed "PHASE 01": "sets of functional gaps that NASA and its partners must close to enable the first phase of Moon Base development" (pp. 8–10).
19 tech gaps, 19 data gaps "key technology and knowledge challenges associated with near-term Moon Base development efforts. Missions during phase one of Moon Base development offer opportunities to collect data and mature technologies to enable essential phase two and phase three capabilities" (p. 11). "NASA and its partners are working to fill the associated technology and data gaps, starting with initial missions in phase one" (pp. 12–13).
Goals Four per phase (p. 4). For Phases 2 and 3 the guide has nothing else.

So in the guide's words the 19 tech gaps are not "Phase 1 needs": Phase 1 is when work on them starts. The wiki labels them, and the 19 data gaps, "named in the Moon Base Users Guide (near-term)".

At a glance, by phase

Phase 1 (Now–2029) Phase 2 (2029–2032) Phase 3 (2032 and beyond)
Name (web) "Gain Reliable Access, Experiment, and Learn" "Build and Expand" "Live and Work on the Moon"
Goals (guide) "Achieve high-rate, reliable surface access." "Establish ground truth for Moon Base landing sites." "Experiment and test capabilities." "First crewed Moon Base mission." "Establish initial lunar surface infrastructure." "Increase CLPS payload mass capability to 5MT." "Technology demonstrations." "Semi-annual Crewed Missions." "Regolith manipulation and site preparation." "Increase CLPS payload mass capability to 8MT." "Uncrewed cargo return capabilities." "Continuous Crew Presence."
What it builds (web) "gaining reliable access to the lunar surface and building a deeper understanding of the environment" "the first infrastructure needed to support long-term operations on the Moon. Early power systems, cargo transportation, logistics, and communications capabilities" "a permanent lunar outpost where astronauts can live and work for extended periods. Habitats, power systems, communications, transportation, and other critical capabilities"
What it brings (fact sheet, abridged) Crewed and autonomous rovers; "hopper drones called MoonFall"; "communications relay and observation satellites"; "Early power, navigation, communication, and nuclear RHU demonstrations to ensure systems can survive the lunar night" "improved solar and initial nuclear-based power stations"; upgraded rovers; "advanced MoonFall drones"; habitation; "surface-to-orbit communications stations" "semi-permanent habitation modules"; "An operational fission surface power station"; "Operating pressurized rovers"; "advanced logistics networks"
Scale (guide) 25 launches, 21 landings, ~4,000 kg to the surface 27, 24, ~60,000 kg 29, 28, ~150,000 kg
Needs named by ID 31 functional gaps (below) none none
Tech and data gaps Work on them starts here (below) Enabled by the Phase 1 work (p. 11) Enabled by the Phase 1 work (p. 11)
Assets named (web) Eight: Blue Moon MK1, Griffin-1, IM-3, VIPER, CAPSTONE 02, Blue Ghost Mission 2, MoonFall, the Lunar Terrain Vehicles The JAXA pressurized rover, then "More to come" None: "More to come"
ADD elements CLPS (named by the sources); Human Landing System (HLS) (a label on Ignition deck 2's Phase 1 render; the wiki's match by name); Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) (the wiki's match) CLPS (named in the guide's goal, "5MT"); Pressurized Rover (the wiki's match) CLPS (named in the guide's goal, "8MT"); Human Landing System ("cargo‑capable human landing systems", Ignition release)

Sources: goals and scale from Users Guide, p. 4; names, dates, "What it builds" and assets from Moon Base Phases, "Phase One", "Phase Two", "Phase Three"; "What it brings" from the Building the Moon Base fact sheet, p. 1 (24 March 2026), whose phase names differ from the web's (Phases). The assets and the element matches are detailed on Missions and assets. In Phase 1, "Human Landing System" is a label on the render of Ignition deck 2, slide 10, matched to the ADD element by name (the wiki's match). The HLS is named in Phase Three in the Ignition release, "Building the Moon Base": "As cargo‑capable human landing systems (HLS) come online, NASA will deliver heavier infrastructure". The guide doesn't say whether its numbers are per phase or cumulative, but the Moon Base Program's Ignition deck does: it prints the same figures with per-year tables whose counts sum to them for Phases 2 and 3, and to Phase 1's 21 landings (its launches sum to 24, not 25; the sums are the wiki's), so the figures are per phase (Ignition deck 2, slides 17, 27, 36; Phases; open question 6). The fact sheet agrees for Phase 2 ("up to 60 tons of cargo during this phase through up to 24 landings") and gives Phase 3 "up to 38 tons of cargo per year". The deck puts "$10 BILLION" on each of Phases 1 and 2 and "$10 BILLION +" on Phase 3. No source says which Artemis mission is the "First crewed Moon Base mission" (open question 9).

Phase 1: the 31 functional gaps

The guide's seven groups, with the ADD's own allocation beside them. The function IDs and targets are the guide's (Users Guide, pp. 8–10). The element and B.5 columns are the wiki's join by function ID to ADD Rev C Appendix B.3 and B.5 (pp. 148–184), from Lunar function allocation. The last column is the spreadsheet's own traceability, with ratings (tech gaps spreadsheet).

Group Capability targets (abridged) Functions Foundational Exploration elements that perform them (B.3) In B.5, "unallocated" Tech gaps whose traceability names them (rating)
Autonomous systems and robotics unload and manipulate cargo "(10kg)"; "lunar site preparation"; "remote mating/demating of cables" FN-A-104 L, FN-A-105 L, FN-A-201 L, FN-A-302 L, FN-A-401 L, FN-M-401 L, FN-M-501 L LTV and LUR (A-104, A-302, M-501); LUR (A-105); NSN and DSN (A-201, A-401); CLPS and HLS (M-401) FN-A-105 L, though B.3 puts it on the LUR #0805 (8), #1005 (28), #1004 (33), #1002 (34), #0501 (36)
Communications and positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) "a second orbital relay constellation" with ground stations for "> 500Mbps"; "orbital navigation and timing assets" FN-C-101 L, FN-C-103 L, FN-C-105 L, FN-C-201 L Gateway, Initial Surface Habitat, NSN and DSN, LCRNS (C-101, C-105); Initial Surface Habitat, LTV, Pressurized Rover (C-103); LCRNS (C-201) none #0101 (20)
Habitation "extended crew habitation capabilities, including hygiene, exercise, and nutrition"; "extended duration medical"; "Earth-independent operations"; "management of waste streams" FN-H-101 L, FN-H-102 L, FN-X-103 L, FN-L-301 L, FN-H-201 L Initial Surface Habitat and Pressurized Rover (H-101, H-201). HLS has H-101 and L-301 in Human Lunar Return only. FN-H-102 L, FN-X-103 L, FN-L-301 L, none with an element #0301 (3), #0303 (16), #0702 (21), #0402 (39), #0401 (40), #0403 (41), #0404 (42), #0405 (46), #0306 (49)
Logistics "transfer pressurized goods, water, and gases on the lunar surface" FN-L-101 L, FN-L-201 L, FN-L-203 L, FN-L-205 L Initial Surface Habitat (L-101); Initial Surface Habitat and Pressurized Rover (L-201) FN-L-203 L, FN-L-205 L, neither with an element #0807 (15), #0701 (23)
Mobility "small utility rovers and hoppers"; "large crewed and uncrewed rovers with speeds of 10 km/hr" FN-M-302 L, FN-M-304 L, FN-A-103 L, FN-U-103 L LTV (M-302, M-304); Pressurized Rover (A-103) FN-A-103 L, though B.3 puts it on the Pressurized Rover; FN-U-103 L, with no element none
Power "5 kW power generation and storage", "survival through 120+ hours of darkness"; "survive the night capability using radioisotope thermal generators" FN-P-101 L, FN-P-102 L (as printed; see below), FN-P-301 L, FN-P-401 L, FN-P-402 L Lunar Nuclear Fission System (P-101, P-301, P-401); Initial Surface Habitat (P-401, P-402) FN-P-101 L and FN-P-301 L, though B.3 puts both on the fission system; FN-P-102 L, with no element none by function ID
Transportation (cargo) "landers with two metric ton cargo delivery capability to the lunar South Pole region" FN-T-201 L, FN-T-202 L CLPS and HLS (T-201); Lunar Surface Cargo Lander (T-202) none none

LTV = Lunar Terrain Vehicle; LUR = Lunar Utility Rover; HLS = Human Landing System; NSN, DSN and LCRNS are the networks of the Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Networks element.

What the table shows:

  • Seven of the 31 have no element in the ADD's Foundational Exploration tables (the wiki's join). They are month-plus habitation (FN-H-102 L), month-plus countermeasures (FN-X-103 L), waste (FN-L-301 L), water and gas transfer (FN-L-203 L, FN-L-205 L), resource identification (FN-U-103 L) and FN-P-102 L. B.5 lists all seven as unallocated.
  • The other 24 have at least one element. Four of them are also in B.5: FN-A-103 L, FN-A-105 L, FN-P-101 L and FN-P-301 L (open question 64). Read with the guide's definition, the remaining 20 would be gaps for "additional performance". No source says what more performance any of them needs (open question 65).
  • FN-P-102 L. The guide prints it with the title "Store energy in the south pole region on the lunar surface". In the ADD that is FN-P-202 L's title. Both IDs are unallocated in B.5, so the counts don't change (open question 40).
  • Targets and functions don't always agree in scale. The robotics target is 10 kg of cargo. FN-M-401 L and FN-M-501 L say "100s of kg". The Phase 1 lander target is 2 t, against the CLPS goals of 5 MT in Phase 2 and 8 MT in Phase 3 (p. 4).
  • Five ADD sub-architectures have no group: Data Systems and Management, Human Systems, Infrastructure Support, In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) and Utilization. One Human Systems function (FN-X-103 L) and one Utilization function (FN-U-103 L) sit in other groups (Sub-architectures).

Tech gaps tied to Phase 1 functions by NASA's own traceability

The tech-gap spreadsheet's traceability field names 10 of the 31 functions. Those 10 lead to 17 gaps. The guide's challenges (next section) cite 4 of them. The other 13 the guide doesn't cite. Each row below is checked against the spreadsheet (tech gaps spreadsheet, the ESDMD rows named; use cases from Lunar functions).

Gap Rating (bin) Phase 1 function it names (use case) Guide's group Among the guide's 19?
#0301 Systems to Survive Extended Lunar Shadow 3 (1) FN-H-201 L (UC-H-105 L) Habitation yes
#0805 Autonomous Surface Mobility and Navigation 8 (2) FN-A-201 L (UC-A-201 L) Robotics no
#0807 Docking and Berthing between Surface Elements 15 (2) FN-L-101 L, FN-L-205 L (UC-L-201 L) Logistics yes
#0303 Dormancy Recovery for Habitat Water 16 (3) FN-H-102 L (UC-H-102 L) Habitation no
#0101 PNT for Lunar Surface Extreme Environments 20 (3) FN-C-201 L (UC-M-601 L, UC-C-202 L, UC-C-203 L) Communications and PNT yes
#0702 Waste Management 21 (3) FN-L-301 L (UC-L-201 L) Habitation no
#0701 Packing, Transport, and Use of Conditioned Supplies 23 (3) FN-L-201 L (UC-L-201 L) Logistics yes
#1005 Safe Human-Robot Interaction and Teaming 28 (3) FN-A-302 L (UC-A-301 L) Robotics no
#1004 Trustworthy Autonomy for Planning and Decision-making 33 (4) FN-A-302 L (UC-A-301 L) Robotics no
#1002 Autonomous Monitoring 34 (4) FN-A-302 L (UC-A-301 L) Robotics no
#0501 Robotic Inspection, Maintenance, and Repair 36 (4) FN-A-201 L (UC-A-105 L) Robotics no
#0402 Sensorimotor Countermeasures 39 (5) FN-X-103 L (UC-X-103 L) Habitation no
#0401 Crew Exercise Countermeasures 40 (5) FN-X-103 L (UC-X-103 L) Habitation no
#0403 Physiological Countermeasures 41 (5) FN-X-103 L (UC-X-103 L) Habitation no
#0404 Behavioral Countermeasures 42 (5) FN-X-103 L (UC-X-103 L) Habitation no
#0405 Exploration Medical Capabilities 46 (5) FN-X-103 L (UC-X-103 L) Habitation no
#0306 Advanced Structures and Materials for Habitats 49 (6) FN-H-102 L (UC-H-102 L) Habitation no

Read off the table:

  • Habitation draws the most: 9 of the 17. FN-X-103 L, month-plus crew countermeasures, is named by five of the six #04xx gaps, the countermeasure and medical ones (#0401 to #0405). The guide's habitation targets ask to demonstrate "exercise" and "extended duration medical capabilities" (p. 9).
  • Eight sit in bins 4 and 5, where the guide cites no gap (gaps index). The ratings date from December 2025, before the Moon Base. The ADD notes that "all gaps, even those in the lowest priority bin, are highly architecture driven" (ADD Rev C, p. 78).
  • No gap names a mobility, power or cargo-transport function on the list by ID. The power gaps reach power functions only through "All FN" (below).

"All FN", expanded (the wiki's). Some gaps trace to a use case with "All FN" instead of a function. Expanded from the lunar decomposition spreadsheet, seven gaps reach Phase 1 functions this way, all of them among the guide's 19 (gaps index):

  • #0806: FN-A-104 L, FN-A-105 L, FN-A-201 L (UC-A-103 L)
  • #0901: FN-P-101 L (UC-P-101 L), FN-P-102 L (UC-P-102 L)
  • #0903: FN-P-301 L (UC-P-301 L)
  • the lunar ISRU gaps #0601, #0603, #0604 and #0605: FN-T-202 L, FN-P-401 L and FN-C-101 L, plus FN-U-103 L for all but #0605. These are support functions listed under the ISRU use cases.

The guide's technology and knowledge challenges

The guide groups its gaps under two headline challenges, landing safely and accurately and operating on the surface for long durations. Under them come thirteen associated challenges. Together they cite 19 tech gaps and DN-001 L to DN-019 L (Users Guide, pp. 12–13). The full tables, in NASA's wording, are on Technology and knowledge challenges. Here are the 19 tech gaps with their ratings (tech gaps spreadsheet; gaps index):

Gap Rating (bin) Challenges citing it (guide)
#0801 Lunar Dust-Tolerant Systems and Dust Mitigation 1 (1) Long-duration operations
#0201 Extreme Environment Avionics 2 (1) Long-duration operations
#0301 Systems to Survive Extended Lunar Shadow 3 (1) Long-duration operations; thermal generators
#0103 Surface-to-Surface Communications 5 (1) Surface-to-surface comms
#0806 Payload Offloading, Handling, and Manipulation 7 (2) Moving logistics
#0901 Scalable Lunar Surface Power Generation 13 (2) Solar power; thermal generators
#1001 High-performance Actuators, Sensors, and Interfaces 14 (2) Moving logistics
#0807 Docking and Berthing between Surface Elements 15 (2) Pressurized mating; initial habitation
#0804 Robotic and Mobility Systems in Extreme Cold 19 (3) Long-duration operations
#0101 PNT for Lunar Surface Extreme Environments 20 (3) Long-duration operations; timing systems
#0701 Packing, Transport, and Use of Conditioned Supplies 23 (3) Moving logistics
#0903 Power Management and Distribution 24 (3) Solar power; electrical connections; wireless charging; initial habitation
#1101 Lunar Precision Landing and Hazard Avoidance 27 (3) Landing safely and accurately
#0505 In-Situ Additive/Subtractive Construction 29 (3) Manipulating regolith
#0504 Autonomous Lunar Surface Structure Assembly and Construction 30 (3) Solar power
#0605 Lunar Regolith Excavation, Manipulation, and Transportation 53 (6) Manipulating regolith; ISRU systems
#0601 Oxygen Extraction from Lunar Regolith 54 (6) ISRU systems
#0603 Water Recovery from Lunar Regolith/Ice 55 (6) ISRU systems
#0604 Metal Extraction from Lunar Regolith 56 (6) ISRU systems
  • The guide leaves out two of the top six: #1107 Cryogenic Fluid Transfer, rated 4, and #1104 Mars Transportation Propulsion, rated 6, which is Mars-only (gaps index).
  • Data gaps. The guide cites every lunar data gap, unranked: the list is "not comprehensive or prioritized" (p. 11). Counted by the wiki, DN-009 L (regolith electrostatics) and DN-019 L (dust flux and charge) are each cited under six challenges, and DN-008 L (regolith geotechnics) under five. Four challenges cite no data gap: surface-to-surface comms, moving logistics, timing systems and initial habitation (data gaps index).

  • Phase 1 missions on the same subjects (the wiki's matching, not the sources'):

    The table, with how closely each one fits, is on the data gaps index.

Phase 1 in the Building the Moon Base fact sheet

The fact sheet of 24 March 2026 lists what Phase 1 brings, not what it needs, and names no function or gap (Building the Moon Base fact sheet, p. 1; full wording on Phases, the assets on Missions and assets). Four of its items are on the same subjects as the guide's Phase 1 targets. The pairings are the wiki's, by subject. The gaps in the last column are the ones the guide itself cites for the challenge named (pp. 12–13).

Fact sheet, Phase 1 Users Guide, same subject Guide's challenge and its gaps
"Early power, navigation, communication, and nuclear RHU demonstrations to ensure systems can survive the lunar night" ("RHU" is not expanded) Power target: "Demonstrate survive the night capability using radioisotope thermal generators", and "survival through 120+ hours of darkness" (p. 10) "Thermal generators": #0301 Systems to Survive Extended Lunar Shadow (rated 3), #0901 Scalable Lunar Surface Power Generation (13)
"communications relay and observation satellites to bring the world along as the Moon Base is constructed" C&PNT target: "Deployment of a second orbital relay constellation with surface imaging capabilities and lunar surface ground stations to enable > 500Mbps capability" (p. 8) none; the guide has no challenge on orbital relays
"Crewed and autonomous rovers for basic mobility and surface improvement demonstrations" Mobility target: "Deployment of large crewed and uncrewed rovers with speeds of 10 km/hr" (p. 9) none; no gap names a Phase 1 mobility function by ID (above)
"hopper drones called MoonFall" Mobility target: "Deployment of small utility rovers and hoppers to conduct science, reconnaissance, and resource discovery" (p. 9) none; MoonFall's measurements against data gaps are above
  • RHU and RTG by phase. The guide's Phase 1 power target names "radioisotope thermal generators". The fact sheet has "nuclear RHU demonstrations" in Phase 1 and "RTGs" among Phase 2's "initial nuclear-based power stations". Neither document relates the two terms. The Moon Base Program's Ignition deck (March 2026) sides with the fact sheet: Phase 1 is "Demo initial Radioisotope Heater Units (RHUs)", whose landers "will survive 120+ continuous hours of darkness"; Phase 2 is "Deploy Radioisotope Thermal Generator (RTG) Power Stations", with assets that "begin routinely using RHUs & RTGs to enable night survival"; Phase 3 has "Permanently shadowed region exploration capable using RHU & RTG" (Ignition deck 2, slides 16, 54, 57). The guide is newer and stays the reference; the wiki records both (open question 83).
  • Phase 1 power in the deck: "Solar Battery/ RFC Power" (slide 53), "Deploy assets responsible for self-supported power generation and survival" and "Demo initial hibernation points" (slide 54). These sit beside the guide's "5 kW power generation and storage" target (p. 10); the pairing is the wiki's.
  • The other Phase 1 items are "All the scientific payloads that can be incorporated on every lander and rover" and "four tons of payload delivered to test what works on the surface". The second is the guide's ~4,000 kg, on the wiki's reading (Phases).

  • On NASA's Moon Base Systems page (undated; its images were uploaded in May 2026), Phase One brings:

    • VIPER and MoonFall "to conduct science, reconnaissance, and resource discovery", the same words as the guide's mobility target for "small utility rovers and hoppers" (p. 9)
    • crewed and uncrewed LTVs that "operate at speeds up to six miles (10 kilometers) per hour", the speed in the guide's target for "large crewed and uncrewed rovers" (p. 9), with "at least 497 miles (800 kilometers)" uncrewed and "559 miles (900 kilometers) or more" crewed, slopes "up to 20 degrees" and "up to 150 hours in shadow"
    • "an initial five-satellite orbital relay constellation … followed by the addition of a second provider constellation", beside the guide's "second orbital relay constellation" target (p. 8)
    • "self-supported power generation and survival", with RHU demonstrations

    (Moon Base Systems). The pairings with the guide's targets are the wiki's. The page names no function or gap.

Phase 2: what the sources say

  • Goals: initial surface infrastructure, CLPS payloads of 5 MT, technology demonstrations and "Semi-annual Crewed Missions" (Users Guide, p. 4).
  • Focus: "NASA will begin deploying the first infrastructure needed to support long-term operations on the Moon. Early power systems, cargo transportation, logistics, and communications capabilities will expand humanity's footprint on the Moon", with infrastructure "across multiple locations" (Moon Base Phases, "Phase Two").
  • Shared systems. The guide, without naming a phase: "NASA and its partners can start building scalable, shared systems for power, logistics, communications, and navigation". Sharing them "will offer increasing flexibility, efficiency, and robustness as the Moon Base progresses through implementation phases" (Users Guide, p. 6).
  • Asset: the JAXA pressurized rover, for missions "lasting up to 28 days with up to 14 days between cargo resupplies" (Moon Base Phases, "Pressurized Rover"), as in ADD Rev C (p. 63). NASA's Moon Base Systems page says "up to 30 days" (Moon Base Systems; open question 97). The wiki matches it to the ADD's Pressurized Rover. In B.3 that element performs 5 of the 31 Phase 1 functions.
  • On the Moon Base Systems page, Phase Two: "initial pressurized modules designed to support short-duration stays"; "solar array and radioisotope power stations", with demonstrations of "wireless rover charging, dust-tolerant electrical connectors, and robotic electrical cable deployment"; "lunar surface communications infrastructure" and "demonstrations of lunar timing technologies"; "cargo modules", "early surface mating operations and initial small-scale cargo return"; LTVs with "regolith manipulation demonstration capabilities". It has no reactor demonstration, which Ignition deck 2 has (Moon Base Systems; Phases).
  • Crew cadence. The March 2026 fact sheet says NASA is "preparing for semi-annual crewed lunar missions after Artemis V" (Going back to the Moon, p. 1). It uses the same words as the Phase 2 goal but doesn't mention the Moon Base phases.
  • In the Building the Moon Base fact sheet (24 March 2026): "assembling semi-permanent infrastructure and begin early habitation and logistics operations", with "improved solar and initial nuclear-based power stations (potentially including both fission reactor and RTGs), upgraded rovers, advanced MoonFall drones, and habitation", "surface-to-orbit communications stations to ensure reliable, high-quality connectivity across the lunar South Pole", and up to 24 landings "with low, medium and heavy cargo-class landers" (Building the Moon Base fact sheet, p. 1). It names no asset except MoonFall, and doesn't name JAXA's rover.
  • In Ignition deck 2 (March 2026), the Phase 2 capability tables: solar array stations ("10 kW+ during illumination", "360 kWh during shadow") and RTG power stations; demonstrations of "wireless charging for Rovers", "dust tolerant electrical connectors", "electrical cable deployment" and "reactor surface power"; permanent surface "cell towers" and a "Clock technology demonstration"; LTVs with more payload capability and "Regolith manipulation demo(s)"; partner rovers for site preparation, power cables and logistics; "0.5 to 1.5 metric tons" of initial logistics, "Demo surface mating", "Demo small cargo return"; and "Early pressurized module(s) with minimal environmental control and life support systems supported by external power" (Ignition deck 2, slides 23, 51, 54, 57, 62). Its wireless charging, connectors and cable deployment are on the subjects of the guide's power challenges in the first row of the table below (the wiki's pairing).
  • Not placed in a phase: Lunar Reactor-1, "the first fission nuclear reactor on the Moon", lands in 2030 (Lunar Surface Technology, "Fission Surface Power"). The nuclear fact sheet calls it "a fission surface-power system designed to keep the Moon Base operating through periods of darkness and in locations where solar power alone cannot reach" (nuclear fact sheet, p. 1). That ties it to the Moon Base by name, not to a phase. The date falls within Phase 2, and the Building the Moon Base fact sheet puts "initial nuclear-based power stations" there, but neither names LR-1 with a phase (Missions and assets). Since May 2026 a Space Reactor Office in the Research and Technology Mission Directorate is to plan "LR-1 ready for launch by 2030" (Administrator's workforce note, Directive 7), and SR-1's mission page says SR-1 will "prove fission surface power technology for NASA's Moon Base" (SR-1 Freedom page); neither gives a phase. The Moon Base Program Manager, Carlos García-Galán, as reported: "those nuclear reactors in phase three, or you know, at the end of phase two", naming none (Moon Base podcast, August 2026).

Phase 1 needs on the same subjects (the wiki's pairing, by subject only). The guide says Phase 1 work enables "essential phase two and phase three capabilities" (p. 11) but doesn't say which. The web page's four Phase 2 capabilities share names with four of the guide's Phase 1 groups. The Building the Moon Base fact sheet's Phase 2 items on the same subjects are added beside them:

Phase 2 capability (web; fact sheet) Phase 1 group Guide's challenges and gaps on the same subject
"Early power systems"; the fact sheet's "improved solar and initial nuclear-based power stations (potentially including both fission reactor and RTGs)" Power: 5 functions; 5 kW, 120+ h, RTG targets Solar power, thermal generators, electrical connections, wireless charging: #0301, #0504, #0901, #0903; DN-005 L, DN-008 L, DN-009 L, DN-019 L
"cargo transportation"; the fact sheet's "low, medium and heavy cargo-class landers" Transportation (cargo): FN-T-201 L, FN-T-202 L; 2 t landers. The Phase 2 goal is 5 MT. Landing safely and accurately: #1101; DN-001 L, DN-002 L, DN-014 L, DN-017 L, DN-018 L
"logistics"; the fact sheet's "early habitation and logistics operations" Logistics: 4 functions; transfer of goods, water, gases Moving logistics, pressurized mating: #0701, #0806, #1001, #0807; DN-008 L, DN-009 L, DN-010 L, DN-019 L
"communications"; the fact sheet's "surface-to-orbit communications stations" Communications and PNT: 4 functions; relay constellation, navigation and timing assets Surface-to-surface comms, timing systems: #0103, #0101

Phase 3: what the sources say

  • Goals: regolith manipulation and site preparation, CLPS payloads of 8 MT, "Uncrewed cargo return capabilities" and "Continuous Crew Presence" (Users Guide, p. 4). The last is the guide's end goal, "a continuous human presence on the lunar surface" (p. 3).
  • Focus: "NASA will begin assembling a permanent lunar outpost where astronauts can live and work for extended periods. Habitats, power systems, communications, transportation, and other critical capabilities will come together to support an enduring human presence near the Moon's South Pole" (Moon Base Phases, "Phase Three").
  • No assets named on the phases page ("More to come"). The Ignition release of March 2026 names two partner contributions, delivered "As cargo‑capable human landing systems (HLS) come online": ASI's Multi-purpose Habitats and CSA's Lunar Utility Vehicle, plus "opportunities for additional contributions in habitation, surface mobility and logistics" (Ignition release, "Building the Moon Base"; Missions and assets).
  • In the Building the Moon Base fact sheet (24 March 2026): "a true enduring presence as crew rotations become routine", with "semi-permanent habitation modules with spacious interior volume", "An operational fission surface power station with sufficient power to provide steady, reliable energy through the long lunar nights, leveraging in situ resource manufacturing", "Operating pressurized rovers that enable long distance exploration and surface travel", "advanced logistics networks, leveraging a fleet of crewed and autonomous rovers", and "up to 38 tons of cargo per year" (Building the Moon Base fact sheet, p. 1). It names no partner asset. Its pressurized rovers are in Phase 3, where the release and the phases page put JAXA's in Phase 2.
  • In Ignition deck 2 (March 2026): "Fission Surface Power" and "Power distribution deployed to support habitats and surface assets"; LTVs with a "10-year design life requirement (NASA & commercial users)", "Full logistics transfer capabilities" and "Robotic manipulation capabilities"; "Up to eight metric tons per 28-day mission" of logistics (slide 32's example: "~8,000 kg of carriers, consumables, and other items to support a 4crew, 28-day mission"); cargo return with a "Goal: 500 kg"; "Initial surface habitats > 100 m³", partner and US, with airlocks and nodes; ISRU that will "begin implementation", for "Oxygen, water, rare Earth elements, hydrogen"; and "Clock ensembles – persistent time broadcast" (Ignition deck 2, slides 32–35, 51, 54, 57, 62).
  • On the Moon Base Systems page, Phase Three: "100-cubic-meter-class modules, airlocks, and module aggregation nodes"; "operational fission surface power systems capable of providing steady, reliable energy through long lunar nights"; "a goal of delivering up to eight metric tons per 28-day mission"; cargo return "targeting up to 500 kilograms of returned material"; "a coordinated lunar network", with infrastructure "across broader regions of the lunar surface"; LTVs for "permanently shadowed region exploration, and regolith handling". The page has no ISRU area, where deck 2 has one (Moon Base Systems).

Phase 1 needs on the same subjects (the wiki's pairing, by subject only):

Phase 3 goal (guide) or item (fact sheet) Same subject earlier in the guide
"Regolith manipulation and site preparation" The challenge "Manipulating regolith": "Manipulating lunar regolith at scale for excavation, compaction, and site preparation requires in depth understanding of regolith properties and large scale excavation and construction" (p. 13). It cites #0505 and #0605, and DN-008 L, DN-009 L, DN-010 L and DN-019 L. The Phase 1 robotics group also has a target for "lunar site preparation capabilities" (p. 8).
"Uncrewed cargo return capabilities" The challenge "Small cargo return": returning cargo "requires a detailed understanding of how launch from the surface affects lunar regolith and nearby assets" (p. 12). It cites DN-017 L and DN-018 L. "Large cargo delivery and return" is also one of the guide's partnership areas (p. 15).
"Increase CLPS payload mass capability to 8MT" The Phase 1 target of 2 t landers and FN-T-202 L, "a moderate amount of cargo (1000s of kg)" (p. 10). The ADD puts FN-T-202 L on the Lunar Surface Cargo Lander, whose capacity it doesn't give (open question 58).
"Continuous Crew Presence" The Phase 1 habitation group. Its three B.5 functions (month-plus habitation, month-plus countermeasures, waste) have no Foundational Exploration element (above).
The fact sheet's "operational fission surface power station" for "the long lunar nights" The Phase 1 power group: "5 kW power generation and storage", "survival through 120+ hours of darkness" (p. 10). The challenges "Solar power" and "Thermal generators" cite #0901; "Thermal generators" also cites #0301 (pp. 12–13). In the ADD, the Lunar Nuclear Fission System performs FN-P-101 L, FN-P-301 L and FN-P-401 L (B.3); no source ties that element to a phase.

Needs the sources give without a phase

  • Environment (Users Guide, p. 7). Technology for "heating and power solutions that allow systems to survive the lunar night and explore areas of permanent shadow"; systems "that can descend and climb these craters' extreme slopes"; "interoperability standards for lunar systems like power, docking, and communications". See Environment. The sources disagree on how cold the permanently shadowed regions get (open question 3).
  • Partnership areas (p. 15). Eight areas "ripe for strategic partnership", from surface habitation to advanced navigation; see Priorities.
  • Mars-forward (p. 14). Seven areas, from nuclear technologies to planetary protection; see Mars-forward.
  • NASA's technology program. Nine surface technology areas with named projects, and the five areas of the Lunar Surface Technologies solicitation (Lunar Surface Technology; Moon Base Solicitations). That solicitation is NextSTEP-3 Appendix A, the Lunar Enabling Infrastructure Accelerator (LEIA; the wiki's match by name and areas), which seeks "risk reduction and ground‑based testing" to technology readiness level (TRL) 5–6. NASA ties its topics to gaps "as identified in NASA's Civil Space Shortfalls" and names no ADD gap (NextSTEP-3 A page; draft-input article). No source maps the areas or topics to gap IDs. See Surface technology. One figure there is given two ways, IPEx's regolith capacity (open question 4).
  • "Moon Base architecture gaps" (June 2026). The Human Spaceflight Mission Directorate's NextSTEP-3 Appendix B, Moon Base Demonstrations, seeks "concept demonstrations, risk reduction opportunities, and studies that address Moon Base architecture gaps", at "TRL 6 and beyond", "culminating in flight or lunar surface demonstrations", with surface power as its first topic. It names no gap and doesn't say where these gaps are listed (NextSTEP-3 B page; Surface technology). Since May 2026 the Moon Base Program is to "Develop an integrated lunar architecture and operations plan" (Directive 6), and its manager says the program's architecture team is "matching up to technology gaps", as reported. No source links that plan to the ADD's lists (Architecture definition process).
  • Science payloads for the Moon Base (September 2026). Three PRISM suites will fly via CLPS "as part of the agency's Moon Base Program" to "understand lunar resources, map natural shelters, and assess environmental hazards": LEMS-SP (micrometeoroids, seismic events), GIMLI (a lava tube at the Marius Hills Pit) and DISCO (ice in micro-cold traps, plume effects, surface stability). No phase or date (PRISM release). The data gaps on the same subjects (the wiki's matching) are on the data gaps index.
  • A July 2026 talk by Shatel Bhakta, the Moon Base Program's principal systems engineer, as NASA reported it: "communications infrastructure to relay signals across the lunar South Pole", because surface systems "may not always have a clear line of sight to Earth"; "energy storage and other power sources" for shifting shadows; habitats and other systems possibly "distributed across the lunar surface"; and "Deal with the interfaces" (Ion talk report). A report of a talk, cited as reported, ranks below the documents.

  • What NASA asked industry for after Ignition (March 2026; the Ignition page's summaries of SAM.gov notices, which were not fetched) (Ignition page):

    • Moon Base Capabilities RFI (request for information): technologies and hardware "that can be rapidly developed or repurposed for demonstration testing on the lunar surface within the next two to four years", and help with "critical supply chain and test facility challenges": "propellant tank dome manufacturing, high-thrust hypergolic engines, radiation-hardened electronics, and hypergolic test stands capable of altitude testing, among others". Radiation-hardened electronics is the subject of #0201 Extreme Environment Avionics; the pairing is the wiki's.
    • Lunar terrain vehicles: minimum one-year life, 800 km uncrewed and 900 km crewed traverse (Lunar Terrain Vehicle).
    • CLPS CS-8: a bonus for surviving "a full lunar night" with "a radioisotope device", the subject of #0301 Systems to Survive Extended Lunar Shadow (the wiki's pairing).
    • Commercial human lunar transport able to dock with the HLS providers' landers, for "a permanent, continuously crewed U.S. lunar base" (Human Landing System).

  • Coming solicitations (June 2026): landers for "a power and avionics technology demonstration, another science manifest, and a South Pole optical imager"; "an open solicitation for Moon Base technology demonstrations"; "a lunar communication and navigation relay constellation to enable improved communication between Moon Base elements and Earth" (June 2026 release). The relay constellation is on the same subject as the Phase 1 communications group's relay target (Phase 1 functional gaps); the pairing is the wiki's.

Elements: where the Phase 1 functions land

The wiki's join of the 31 functions to ADD Appendix B.3 (pp. 148–165), with how each element is tied to a phase. From Elements, where the kinds of link are explained.

Element Moon Base phase, and who says so Phase 1 functions it performs (B.3)
Initial Surface Habitat No phase. The guide's example of an early element "designed … for self-sufficiency" (p. 6). 9: FN-H-101 L, FN-H-201 L, FN-L-101 L, FN-L-201 L, FN-C-101 L, FN-C-103 L, FN-C-105 L, FN-P-401 L, FN-P-402 L
Lunar Terrain Vehicle Phase One "Lunar Terrain Vehicles" (the wiki's match) 6: FN-M-302 L, FN-M-304 L, FN-M-501 L, FN-A-104 L, FN-A-302 L, FN-C-103 L
Pressurized Rover Phase Two JAXA rover (the wiki's match) 5: FN-H-101 L, FN-H-201 L, FN-L-201 L, FN-C-103 L, FN-A-103 L
SCaN Networks Altus-1 relay on IM-3, Phase One, under a Near Space Network contract 5: FN-C-101 L, FN-C-105 L, FN-C-201 L, FN-A-201 L, FN-A-401 L
Lunar Utility Rover Not established by the sources 4: FN-A-104 L, FN-A-105 L, FN-A-302 L, FN-M-501 L
Lunar Nuclear Fission System No phase; Lunar Reactor-1 lands in 2030 (the wiki's match) 3, all of its functions: FN-P-101 L, FN-P-301 L, FN-P-401 L
CLPS Most Phase One missions fly on CLPS; the 5 MT and 8 MT goals for Phases 2 and 3 2: FN-T-201 L, FN-M-401 L
Human Landing System Phase Three: "cargo‑capable human landing systems (HLS)" (Ignition release). Phase 1: "Human Landing System" labeled on Ignition deck 2's render (slide 10; the wiki's match by name) 2 in Foundational Exploration: FN-T-201 L, FN-M-401 L. Also FN-H-101 L and FN-L-301 L in Human Lunar Return.
Gateway No phase. Hardware of its Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) reused for surface demonstrations. 2: FN-C-101 L, FN-C-105 L
Lunar Surface Cargo Lander Not established by the sources 1: FN-T-202 L
Exploration EVA System, Exploration Ground Systems, Human-Class Delivery Lander, Orion, SLS Not established by the sources none

No source maps ADD segments to Moon Base phases. The LTV and Pressurized Rover are Foundational Exploration elements that appear in Phases One and Two. That is not such a mapping (Segments).

Open points that bear on these needs

  • 6: settled from the sources: the phase numbers are per phase, for all three phases (Ignition deck 2's per-year tables, slides 17, 27, 36). Still open: Phase 1's launches sum to 24 on deck 2's table, where the guide says 25.
  • 9: which Artemis mission is the "First crewed Moon Base mission"?
  • 40: FN-P-102 L carries FN-P-202 L's title.
  • 64 and 65: B.3 against B.5; which half of the functional-gap definition each function falls under.
  • 58: the Lunar Surface Cargo Lander's capacity.
  • 3 and 4: the minimum temperature in permanently shadowed regions; IPEx's regolith capacity.
  • 75: the PRISM suites have no phase.
  • 76: five sets of phase names, three of them from Ignition day and one from the Moon Base Program's deck (Ignition deck 2, listed on 26 March 2026).
  • 97: the pressurized rover's missions, "up to 28 days" (ADD Rev C and the phases page) or "up to 30 days" (Moon Base Systems).

Moon Base hub · Phases · Priorities · Phase 1 functional gaps · Technology and knowledge challenges · Missions and assets · Environment · Mars-forward · Gaps index · Data gaps index · Elements · Lunar function allocation · Overview

Sources

Users Guide, pp. 3–15 · Moon Base Phases · Going back to the Moon · Building the Moon Base fact sheet · Ignition deck 2, slides 10, 16–17, 23, 27, 32–36, 41–62 · Nuclear power fact sheet · Tech gaps spreadsheet · Data gaps spreadsheet · ADD Rev C, pp. 63, 78, 148–184 · Lunar objective decomposition · Lunar Surface Technology · Moon Base Solicitations · PRISM release · Ion talk report · Ignition page · Ignition release · June 2026 release · Moon Base Systems · Administrator's workforce note, 22 May 2026 · Moon Base podcast (August 2026) · SR-1 Freedom page · NextSTEP-3 A page · LEIA draft-input article · NextSTEP-3 B page