Moon Mine

A U.S. firm has reportedly raised $45 million for three expeditions to the moon – the goal being to develop a robotic mining outpost by 2020. If successful, they will represent the first private enterprise to reach the moon, and will reopen the lunar frontier for the first time since 1972.

The first mission, known as Lunar Scout, will carry a variety of payloads, including a telescope and the “MoonLIGHT” Lunar Laser Ranging Array to the equatorial region of the moon. In 2019, a second excursion, dubbed Lunar Outpost, will establish a research outpost at the lunar South Pole to prospect for minerals and water. The polar location will also enable continuous direct communication with Earth. Finally, the Harvest Moon lander will begin mining in 2020, with the capability (hopefully) of bringing samples back to Earth. Thanks to recent legislation that allows private entities to seek, obtain and utilize space resources, these samples will be used to benefit science as well as industry, while bringing new opportunities and resources to Earth from our “8th Continent” – the Moon.