NASA is looking to construct a property on the moon for astronauts and civilians to live in by 2040.
The US space agency has awarded a Texas-based construction technology company $60 million (slightly over R1.1 billion) to build a property on the lunar surface for both astronauts and civilians.
The plan is to launch a giant 3D printer on the moon and use lunar concrete to layer the structure on the moon.
Nasa has also teamed up with universities and private companies to make doors, tiles and furniture for the moon home.
Raymond Clinton, deputy director of the science and technology office at Nasa’s Marshall Space Flight Centre, does not expect to see humans living on the moon during his lifetime, but is optimistic for future generations.
The 71-year-old expert told The New York Times: “I wish I would be around to see it.
“When we talk about a sustainable human presence, to me, that means that you have a lunar settlement and you have people living and working on the moon continuously.
“What that could be is only up to the imagination of entrepreneurs.”