Updated 18th December 2020 17 Pictures NASA wants to build a lunar base by 2030. Could 3D printing with moon dust be the answer? Written by By Rebecca Cairns The last time a person stepped foot on the moon was 1972. Now, the moon is back on NASA's space agenda. This time around the agency isn't just visiting -- it's planning to stay. With its Artemis missions starting next year, NASA aims to have astronauts on the moon in 2024 and anticipates a permanent lunar base by the end of the decade. This would be the first habitat ever constructed on an extraterrestrial surface, and the challenges are unprecedented.