WASHINGTON, USA, Sept. 30, 2026 - NASA has selected three scientific research projects to assess lunar conditions before establishing a permanent human base on the Moon.^[1] Each project targets a distinct gap in knowledge required to operate the base. The LEMS-SP project will conduct long-term monitoring of lunar hazards including micrometeoroids and moonquakes.^[2] The DISCO instrument will map, measure and characterize water ice deposits in permanently shadowed lunar regions.^[3] The GIMLI instrument will investigate the Marius Hills lunar pit to confirm if it connects to usable ancient lava tube shelters.^[4] A December 2025 executive order directs NASA to develop a launch-ready lunar surface fission reactor by 2030 to support the base. That system, designated Lunar Reactor-1, is scheduled to reach launch-ready status by that date.^[5][6] NASA also confirmed the SR-1 Freedom spacecraft, designed to demonstrate nuclear electric propulsion, is scheduled to launch to Mars in 2028. This mission will mark the transition of nuclear propulsion from laboratory research to operational deep-space application.^[7][8] Impact Insight. Water ice in permanently shadowed lunar craters could one day supply drinking water, oxygen and rocket propellant for crews. The link to planetary defense is partly direct: monitoring micrometeoroids on the lunar surface shows how often small space rocks strike, and building on the Moon develops the deep-space capability future asteroid missions would need.