NASA has set its sights on an extraordinary target: reaching the Moon's surface up to 21 times within the next two and a half years—essentially a landing every month. Achieving this ambitious cadence won't be easy. It demands a fundamental shift in how the agency buys lunar landers, fixes persistent technical failures, and manages its industrial partners. With three of the last four American landing attempts falling short, the pressure is on. Below are the seven essential actions NASA must take to turn this vision into reality.

1. Overhaul Lunar Lander Procurement

NASA's traditional approach to buying lunar landers—often relying on fixed-price contracts with rigid milestones—has proven insufficient for the fast-paced, high-risk environment of space exploration. To land every month, the agency must adopt more flexible procurement strategies that encourage innovation from a broader range of suppliers. This could mean using milestone-based payments tied to actual performance, allowing small startups to compete alongside giants like SpaceX and Blue Origin. The current system, which led to delays in the Human Landing System program, needs to be streamlined so that multiple landers can be developed in parallel. A diversified portfolio of contractors reduces single points of failure and accelerates the timeline. Ultimately, NASA must treat lander acquisition like a fast-moving logistics operation, not a traditional government contract.

2. Rectify Technical Failures from Past Attempts

The recent track record is sobering: three out of four US lunar landing attempts have ended in failure. Problems range from navigation errors to propulsion malfunctions. For monthly landings to become routine, NASA and its partners must systematically diagnose and fix these issues. This means investing in advanced testing facilities, simulation software, and redundant systems on every lander. A lessons-learned database shared across all contractors could prevent repeating mistakes. NASA should also require pre-flight verification missions that validate critical technologies before the actual landing. By addressing root causes—such as landing radar glitches or thruster timing—the agency can dramatically increase reliability. Each successful mission will build confidence and pave the way for the rapid cadence needed to achieve 21 landings in 30 months.

3. Strengthen Oversight of Industrial Base

NASA's industrial partners are essential to the lunar campaign, but the agency has sometimes lacked the rigorous oversight needed to ensure quality and timeliness. A higher flight rate demands more frequent audits, real-time monitoring, and stronger accountability measures. NASA should establish dedicated teams that track each contractor's progress against milestones, with clear escalation procedures for delays. Additionally, the agency needs to foster a culture of transparency where early warnings of issues are encouraged, not punished. This oversight extends to subcontractors as well, since a single faulty component from a third-tier supplier can ground an entire mission. By embedding NASA engineers within key supplier facilities and using data analytics to predict problems, the agency can keep the production pipeline healthy and avoid last-minute surprises.

4. Improve Supply Chain Management

The supply chain for lunar landers—involving everything from avionics to heat shields—has often failed to deliver on time. For a monthly landing schedule, any disruption could cause cascading delays. NASA must work with vendors to build buffer inventories, secure long-lead items, and diversify sources for critical components. The agency should also encourage domestic manufacturing to reduce geopolitical risks. Implementing a just-in-time system with smart logistics can help, but it must be backed by robust contingency plans. For example, if a key sensor is backordered, a qualified alternative should be pre-approved. NASA's supply chain management needs to evolve from reactive firefighting to proactive resilience, ensuring that lander assembly lines never halt because of missing parts. This requires closer collaboration with the Department of Defense and commercial space companies to share best practices.

5. Accelerate Human-Rated Lander Development

While robotic landers can scout and deliver cargo, the ultimate goal is to land astronauts. NASA's Human Landing System program, with contracts to SpaceX (Starship) and Blue Origin (Blue Moon), is progressing but must accelerate to support the monthly cadence. These human-rated landers require extensive certification for crew safety, life support, and docking with the Lunar Gateway. NASA should prioritize testing campaigns, including uncrewed test flights, to prove reliability. Additionally, the agency might consider interim solutions—such as using smaller landers initially for cargo, then scaling up for crew. The development schedule must be compressed without compromising safety, which means parallel workstreams and increased funding. With both SpaceX and Blue Origin competing, NASA can leverage their progress to close gaps faster, making crewed landings an integral part of the monthly rhythm.

6. Expand Robotic and Cargo Lander Capabilities

Beyond crew missions, dozens of robotic and cargo landings will deliver payloads essential for establishing a Moon base. These missions will scout landing sites, demonstrate mining and resource utilization, and test larger vehicles. To keep the monthly schedule, NASA needs a fleet of standardized, reusable landers that can carry varying payloads. Commercial partnerships—like those under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program—should be expanded to include more providers. Each lander design must be robust enough to handle the harsh lunar environment, including extreme temperature swings and abrasive dust. The agency should also develop rapid turnaround processes for payload integration, so that scientists and engineers can prepare experiments quickly. By scaling up robotic capabilities, NASA can generate the data and infrastructure needed to support sustained human presence, all while maintaining the required launch tempo.

7. Prepare for Sustained Lunar Night Operations

One of the toughest challenges is the two-week-long lunar night, during which temperatures plunge and solar power vanishes. For landings to occur every month—regardless of lunar day cycle—landers must survive and operate in darkness. This requires advanced power systems, such as radioisotope heaters, fuel cells, or batteries with high energy density. NASA must also develop autonomous operation software that allows landers to perform tasks without real-time communication during the night. Thermal management is critical to protect electronics and scientific instruments. Testing these systems in lunar analog environments on Earth, and on early robotic missions, will be vital. Successfully operating through the night not only unlocks monthly landings but also proves the resilience needed for eventual human stays. Without this capability, the entire monthly vision remains grounded.

Conclusion: Transforming NASA's lunar landing rate from a rare event to a monthly occurrence is a monumental undertaking, but it's achievable with the right measures. By overhauling procurement, fixing past failures, tightening oversight, and strengthening supply chains, the agency can build a robust industrial base. Accelerating human-rated landers, expanding robotic capabilities, and conquering the lunar night will round out the strategy. Each step reinforces the others, creating a self-sustaining cycle of missions that brings us closer to a permanent presence on the Moon. The goal of 21 landings in 30 months isn't just bold—it's necessary for the next era of exploration.