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A concept that was once only a science fiction is now becoming a reality. A lunar economy, which was once only a concept, is fast becoming a reality. Nations and private companies are racing for a foothold in the Earth’s celestial neighbour to harness its natural resources and develop capabilities for deep space missions.
The modern-day moon gold rush has drawn diverse stakeholders. Participantsrange from established space agencies to innovative, private firms. Firefly Aerospace, a Texas-based company, is one of the companies in this space race. On January 15, Firefly Aerospace launched its launch vehicle. Blue Ghost 1, marking a significant landmark in the development of a Earth-moon delivering system.
The Blue Ghost lander is currently en route to reach the lunar surface. It faces a number of challenging tasks. These include entering lunar space, performing a controlled descent into Mare Crisium on the northern hemisphere of the moon, surviving extreme weather conditions, deploying science equipment, conducting environmental measurements, and autonomously drilling or extracting dust particles suspended above lunar surface.
Firefly’s mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, which aims to use private sector innovation to solve space exploration challenges. While NASA focuses on returning astronauts to the moon through the Artemis program, private companies are tasked with developing the infrastructure for supply delivery and sample return missions.
The Blue Ghost lander carries a payload of 10 experiments, including a computer designed to measure circuit resistance to space radiation and a specialized camera for studying the phenomenon of floating regolith – the loose, broken rock and dust that covers the solid rock. Additionally, the lander will capture images of a lunar eclipse, offering a unique perspective on this celestial event.
As a lunar economy begins to take shape, the focus is now on the potential exploitation lunar materials. Helium-3 is of particular interest, as it is a rare, isotope that has applications in nuclear fusion and quantum computing. It is also used for medical imaging. Helium-3 is believed to be a rare isotope on Earth that has accumulated in the regolith of the moon due to solar wind. Companies like Interlune have been able to create helium-3 by using solar winds. Planning missions to the moon that will specifically target helium-3 mining. Researchers are exploring
the use of lunar water and minerals to produce oxygen for rocket propellant. These initiatives could pave a way for a sustained human presence on moon, possibly leading to the development lunar infrastructure like roads, railroads and even concrete structures.
As missions such as Blue Ghost pave a path for future lunar exploration, the concept of a moon economy is fast becoming a reality. In the next few years, images of landers entering lunar orbit and setting up delivery systems in space will become more common, heralding an era of space exploration beyond Earth’s atmosphere.
