NASA's new chief has unveiled an ambitious plan to create a $20 billion base on the moon.

It's cancelled plans to deploy a space station in lunar orbit, and will instead use the project's components to build the base. 

The US is pushing to return to the moon before China sends its astronauts there around 2030. 

Stardome astronomer Josh Aoraki says the base seems like a fever dream. 

"Since the Apollo missions, NASA has said they want to go to the moon, they want to have a long-term presence there. And they kinda haven't really solidified plans for decades."

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