NASA has announced that it will invest roughly $20 billion over the next seven years to build a base on the Moon, while pausing development of its planned lunar orbital station known as Gateway.

NASA chief Jared Isaacman said the agency will shift focus away from the Gateway project in its current form and instead prioritize infrastructure that supports sustained operations on the lunar surface. Some existing hardware may be repurposed, and international partnerships will still play a role in the revised plan.

The Gateway station had been intended as a staging point for astronauts traveling to and from the Moon, as well as a platform for research. However, critics had increasingly questioned its cost and relevance, arguing it diverted resources from establishing a direct presence on the lunar surface.

The move marks the latest overhaul of NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return Americans to the Moon and establish a long-term foothold as a stepping stone for future missions to Mars. Isaacman said the agency will pursue an “evolutionary path” toward building a permanent lunar outpost through dozens of missions involving both commercial and international partners.

Despite the shift in strategy, NASA maintains its goal of landing astronauts on the Moon by 2028. The agency is also adjusting its mission sequence, adding a test flight ahead of a planned lunar landing to address delays and improve readiness.

The Artemis program has faced repeated setbacks, including delays to Artemis 2, which is now targeting an early April launch for a crewed flyby of the Moon, the first such mission in more than 50 years.

The renewed push comes as China accelerates its own plans for a crewed lunar mission by 2030, intensifying the global race to establish a presence on the Moon.

NASA’s efforts will rely heavily on private-sector partners, including SpaceX and Blue Origin, which are developing lunar landers critical to the success of the Artemis program.