Nasa chief says the agency is 'giving a lot of thought' to meteor strikes that could hit its planned Moon base

Jared Isaacman, the Nasa administrator, raised the risk after it emerged that an asteroid up to six storeys high struck the Moon in 2024. The impact gouged a crater 728ft wide and 141ft deep. Artemis II astronauts saw small meteoroids flash into the surface with no atmosphere to stop them. Nasa wants a permanent base running by 2032.

Isaacman called the 2024 strike 'a once-in-a-century type of an event'.

Nasa is still aiming for its first crewed landing since Apollo, Artemis IV, in 2028.