Architecture for a Flexible, Scalable, and Sustainable Lunar Infrastructure

We present a sustainable and scalable lunar infrastructure to set the stage for the Sustained Lunar Evolution (SLE) segment of NASA's Moon to Mars Strategy. This includes definition of a new Lunar Capability Development (LCD) segment to bridge the technological gaps between the Foundational Exploration (FE) and SLE segments. MISTRESS is a campaign architecture within LCD that strategically focuses on three interdependent and scalable pillars: transportation, energy, and maintenance. The transportation pillar aims to establish a fully-reusable Earth - Moon crew and cargo transport architecture with a target 100% rocket refueling capacity. The energy pillar is supported by large-scale production of ISRU-derived products for power supply and distribution. The third and final pillar is the maintenance capability, enabled by MISTRESS's focus on crew and flexible manufacturing as mission-critical resources. These three critical capabilities are established starting in 2040 and then scaled over three phases, leading to the Sustained Lunar Evolution segment by 2065. Phase 1 spans the first 4 years of the MISTRESS campaign, with a focus on de-risking mission-critical technologies while slowly increasing number of crew and ISRU production of propellant, silicon, metals, and volatiles. Phase 2 spans years 5-10 with a goal of achieving oxygen production capable of 1 refuel per year. The third and final phase describes years 11-25 of the campaign, and ends with a largely self-sustaining architecture that produces the necessary ISRU-derived resources to enable the Sustained Lunar Evolution segment. Phase 3 scales power, crew numbers, and production of oxygen to refuel 100% of MISTRESS's resupply needs, producing hundreds of thousands of kgs of usable ISRU products in the process. Energy, crew, and habitation systems are scaled alongside production systems to support the MISTRESS architecture through maintenance and operation time. Critically, MISTRESS maintains a reserve capacity of 25% full-time equivalent crew (FTE), to ensure resilience in contingency or emergency scenarios. This reserve capacity can be used in support of science and exploration goals in nominal scenarios. Overall, MISTRESS establishes a long-term presence with increasing energy, population and resources, while in turn increasing scientific and exploration output on the lunar surface.