The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has unveiled an ambitious plan to build a city on the surface of the moon in the next six years. The plan was announced just weeks after SpaceX’s board tied Elon Musk’s compensation to establishing a colony on Mars.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman revealed that the process of building a $20 billion outpost on the Moon would start by the end of this year, adding that Stage One will run until 2029.
The US space agency plans to “learn, test and build” in the first phase.
Isaacman said, “America is returning to the moon. And this time to stay.”
NASA plans to establish a permanent lunar colony by 2032 as the agency aims to increase the number of commercial lunar missions in the next three years to discover potential landing sites and test new technology.
Describing the hostile lunar conditions for permanent human presence, the 43-year-old, who served as the 15th NASA chief, said the city on the moon would be as beautiful as it is hostile.
The project starts in the fall, when Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin launches its Blue Moon Mark 1 lander, called Endurance.
Despite careful planning, the recent explosion of the Blue Origin rocket has raised concerns that it could potentially delay future lunar missions.
NASA aims to have a significant number of MoonFall helicopter drones and unmanned rovers on the lunar surface by 2029 to continuously search for water and other resources.
