By WILIAM HUNTER, SENIOR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY REPORTER
Published: 06:47 EDT, 27 May 2026 | Updated: 11:15 EDT, 27 May 2026
NASA has unveiled plans to construct a $20 billion moon base by 2032, giving humans their first permanent outpost on another celestial body.
But what will this 'city' on our lunar satellite look like?
The lunar outpost will initially be fairly basic, using a simple collapsible structure carried all the way from Earth.
However, as NASA's presence becomes more permanent, the small camp will soon expand into a sprawling modular metropolis.
Dr Simeon Barber, a lunar scientist from the Open University, told the Daily Mail that Antarctic research stations are a good comparison for NASA's moon base.
Just like a home on the moon, these remote habitats need to be self–sufficient, built with materials carried over long journeys, and to protect their inhabitants from harsh conditions.
But Dr Barber says that a moon base will also require 'specific requirements stemming from the unique circumstances at the moon'.
This means that NASA's moon base will probably end up as a widely spread collection of prefabricated modules, sprawling over hundreds of square miles.
As NASA unveils plans to construct a $20 billion moon base by 2032, experts reveal what this base would really look like. Pictured: A NASA render of its planned moon infrastructure
On Tuesday, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman laid out the agency's three–stage plan to build a permanent presence on the moon.
Between autumn this year and 2029, the agency will oversee up to 21 lunar landings to deliver scientific equipment and robotic scouts.
A fleet of MoonFall helicopter drones and uncrewed rovers will patrol the South Pole region, looking for sources of water and an ideal location for human settlement.
more
https://www.dailymail.com/sciencetech/article-15851567/NASA-moon-base-look-like.html
