With an estimated 1.6 billion tonnes of water ice at its poles and an abundance of rare-earth elements hidden below its surface, the Moon is rich ground for mining
In this month’s issue of Physics World, science writer Richard Corfield explains how private firms and space agencies are dreaming of tapping into these lucrative resources and turning the Moon’s grey, barren landscape into a money-making conveyer belt. A video preview of the February issue of Physics World can be viewed here.
Since NASA disbanded its manned Apollo missions to the Moon over 40 years ago, unmanned spaceflight has made giant strides and has identified a bountiful supply of water ice at the north and south poles of the Moon.
“It is this, more than anything else,” Cornfield writes, “that has kindled interest in mining the Moon, for where there is ice, there is fuel.”
Texas-based Shackleton Energy Company (SEC) plans to mine the vast reserves of water ice and convert it into rocket propellant in the form of hydrogen and oxygen, which would then be sold to space partners in low Earth orbit.
As the company’s chief executive officer, Dale Tietz, explains, the plan is to build a “gas station in space” in which rocket propellant will be sold at prices significantly lower than the cost of sending fuel from Earth.
SEC plans to extract the water ice by sending humans and robots to mine the lunar poles, and then use some of the converted products to power mining hoppers, lunar rovers and life support for its own activities.
Read more: Mining the Moon becomes a serious prospect
The Latest on: Mining the Moon
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Mining the Moon” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Mining the Moon
- BlockDAG Mining Rigs Rise on the Moon, Dominates with $2.2M Sales, Outshining Cardano Whales, and Polkadot’s Turmoilon April 18, 2024 at 10:24 pm
Amidst market turbulence, the activities of Cardano Whales are a focal point, suggesting a strategic accumulation phase. Similarly, the Polkadot price has faced pressures, unable to breach crucial ...
- BDAG’s Presale Hits $17.6M, Amidst Teasor Reveal of Keynote on the Moon as Ethereum Price Faces Resistance & SOL Struggleson April 17, 2024 at 8:00 pm
BlockDAG‘s presale has surged to $17.6 million in funds raised, capturing attention with its potential for an extraordinary 20,000x return on investment (ROI). As Ethereum’s price contends with ...
- With moon mining and tourism on the horizon, are we in a new geological epoch? Researchers say yeson April 10, 2024 at 5:00 pm
The point of the comment, Holcomb said, was just to get people thinking about how humans have and will affect our moon, and the wider solar system, especially as private companies eye space tourism, ...
- Why Scientists Are Calling for the Moon to Be Better Protected From Developmenton March 26, 2024 at 5:00 pm
The last major international agreement on space—the Outer Space Treaty, ratified by 110 countries—dates to October 1967, when the idea of mining on the moon was more science fiction than an ...
- Scientists call for protection of moon sites that could advance astronomyon March 25, 2024 at 8:34 am
Fears raised that prime lunar locations for universe-unravelling instruments are in danger from imminent wave of human activity Bases, experiments, mining: race to protect surface of moon ...
- Bases, experiments, mining: the race to protect the surface of the moonon March 25, 2024 at 5:49 am
Researchers say ‘global consensus’ is needed within the next few years to protect scientifically important sites Calls for protection of moon sites that could advance astronomy Buzz Aldrin ...
- National Beat: Tech downturn hits the office market, mining the moon, and more startups to watchon March 22, 2024 at 6:10 pm
Seattle-based space-resources company Interlune hopes to see you on the dark side of the moon. Last week, Interlune launched out of stealth with a total of $18 million in funding. The startup's ...
- Moon mining startup Interlune wants to start digging for helium-3 by 2030on March 15, 2024 at 5:00 pm
A budding startup called Interlune is trying to become the first private company to mine the moon’s natural resources and sell them back on Earth. Interlune will initially focus on helium-3 ...
- Could Moon Mining Spoil Its Untouched Grandeur And Science Value?on January 24, 2024 at 11:14 pm
This time, there’s talk of establishing permanent bases on the Moon, and actually doing useful work, like mining. It’s a tantalizing thought, but what does this mean for the sanctity of one of ...
via Bing News