Nasa has unveiled far-reaching plans for its first Moon base that could see people living and working on the lunar surface within six years.
Located at the satellite's south pole, the outpost, which eventually may have sites spread out over hundreds of square miles, will be established in a phased approach, which builds capability over time.
The pioneering development is designed to help unlock new scientific discoveries and develop the technologies needed for future deep space missions, including to Mars.
The move follows the record-breaking flyby of the Moon by the Artemis II crew in April, which marked a crucial stepping stone towards a future landing.
The first stage towards building a base between now and 2029, will see robotic missions scout the lunar region, test technologies and prepare for surface operations.
This includes plans to deploy drones to help explore and map the challenging terrain as well as remote and crewed lunar vehicles, designed to carry out tasks in the demanding environment.
It will also provide the opportunity to demonstrate commercial lunar landing capabilities and the delivery of payloads needed for the future development of the base.
Under the proposed blueprint, from 2029 to 2032 it is planned to provide early habitation and create a semi-permanent infrastructure.
This would include testing out technologies that could pave the way for future nuclear power systems for use on the lunar surface.
It would also see the use of pressurised rover vehicles, that would enable astronauts to operate in shirt sleeves for up to 30 days while carrying out experiments.
In the third and final phase from 2032, it is planned to have a continual human presence on the Moon with routine crew rotations.
This would include larger habitation modules with expanded environmental control, power, and life support capabilities, and large-scale uncrewed cargo return capabilities from the lunar surface to Earth.
The three stages will involve multiple launches and landings.
The lunar South Pole was chosen as the location for the base as it is considered one of the most strategically and scientifically important regions on the Moon, and well suited for long-term human exploration.
Unlike many parts of the Moon that experience long periods of darkness followed by long periods of daylight, the area receives extended sunlight and shorter periods of shadow.
These lighting conditions provide for more consistent solar power generation and stable temperatures for exploration systems and surface operations.
Unveiling the plans, Nasa chief Jared Isaacman said the public were excited about a moon base and the "grand return" to the lunar surface.
He said: "It means people are looking up again, believing in big things again, and paying attention as America returns to the moon again, and this time to stay."
Mr Isaacman added: "We are leveraging the Nasa playbook from the 1960s figuring out what works and what doesn’t in this epic science of survival. Because the moon base is as beautiful as it is hostile."
He pointed out in sunlight, the Moon’s surface could heat to more than 121C, while in darkness it could fall well below minus 128C.
In permanently shaded craters, untouched by sunlight for perhaps billions of years, temperatures can fall well below minus 240C.
Mr Isaacman said: "There is no atmosphere to moderate these extremes, no protection from radiation and solar particle events and the surface is exposed to meteorite impacts."
He went on: "Recognising this reality, I’m often asked why we send our astronauts into such a harsh and dangerous and unforgiving environment of space or the lunar surface and at such great cost.
"We go for the technology we will pioneer to get there, the science and all that we will learn that will make life better here on earth, to advance humankind on this great adventure, to inspire the next generation to do it better than we can and to be very clear to master the skills for where we will inevitably go next."
Vowing to "never give up the Moon again", Mr Isaacman said: "For those waiting patiently, the grand return is close at hand, and we will not slow down.
"We are moving with the competence and the purpose to accomplish the missions that only NASA is capable of achieving, and we are really just getting started."
Dr Lori Glaze of Nasa’s exploration systems development mission directorate, said: "The incredible success of the Artemis II mission has taken Nasa from proving what is possible to making the extraordinary routine.
"Just last month, humanity returned to deep space.
"Artemis II is not only a historic journey, it was a comprehensive test of Nasa’s capabilities as we push farther from Earth."
Carlos Garcia-Galan, Moon base programme executive, said: "We envision the Moon base to be hundreds of square miles with different assets all building up to the objective of permanent lunar presence on the moon."
Speaking later during a Q&A, Mr Isaacman said the aspiration was to eventually have "a lot of outposts" on the lunar surface, and caves had also been looked at to provide shelter for astronauts form the harsh environment.
On the ambitious plans for a base, he added: "There’s certainly going to be a whole lot of inspiration that’s coming out of this for the next generation, but number one, we want to be in an environment where we can learn the skills, so that astronauts can go and plant the stars and stripes on Mars someday."
