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Humans to live on Moon in seven years, says NASA as 24bn permanent base plan announced

NASA plans to have astronauts living permanently on the Moon's surface by 2033 as part of a 24bn Artemis moon settlement programme

[The Artemis II crewed lunar mission lifts off from Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida]

The NASA mission lifted off on April 1(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

NASA's bold Moon living plan by 2033:

• NASA chiefs have announced mankind will live permanently on the Moon by 2033 in an ambitious 24bn project.
• The US space agency wants astronauts living on the lunar surface following Artemis II's successful manned orbit since 1972. NASA administrator Jared Isaacman told partners: "It's time to start believing again. This time the goal is not flags and footprints. This time the goal is to stay."
• Phase one is already underway with commercial landers delivering cargo to the Moon's south pole ahead of astronaut landings in 2028. Pioneer probes will map terrain, search for ice, monitor radiation and test communications over the next two years.
• The Brit-built Lunar Pathfinder satellite launches next year to provide reliable Earth communication from the Moon's far side. Andrew Cawthorne from Surrey Satellite Technology said: "If you can't see the Earth then you can't talk to it so Lunar Pathfinder will provide that relay."
• Nine cargo landers will ferry equipment including nuclear generators and NASA's VIPER rover to the Moon next year. SpaceX and Blue Origin are competing for the first crewed mission.
• Artemis missions will land astronauts in 2028 before Moon base construction begins in 2029. By 2032, NASA plans a pressurised rover built by Toyota acting as a mobile home for astronauts.
• The base will be located at the south pole where water exists as ice, despite extreme cold and 14-day nights.
• READ THE FULL STORY: Mankind to live on the Moon within seven years, says NASA