NASA could begin mining operations on the moon within the next ten years in a bid to commercialise space operations, according to a scientist.
Under plans to return to the moon as part of the Artemis mission, the North American Space Agency will send a test drill rig to the moon by the end of the month, followed by a pilot processing plant come 2032.
“We are trying to invest in the exploration phase [and] understand the resources,” NASA rock scientist Gerald Sanders told a mining conference in Brisbane on Wednesday.
This is in a bid to show that “development and production” is possible on the lunar surface and prove that “external investment makes sense,” he added.
NASA will look to quantify the moon’s resources, including oxygen, energy and water, Sanders explained, which could eventually be sold to commercial clients, such as rocket companies.
“We are literally just scratching the surface,” Sanders continued, with initial missions set to focus on oxygen extraction but later plans potentially involving iron and rare earth mining.
NASA and other major space agencies see the moon as not only a potential source of metals and other crucial elements but also the ideal base for humanity's ‘gateway to the solar system’.
The last lunar landing, 1972, saw two NASA geologists conduct a series of experiments on the Moon and gathered rocks to take back to Earth for analysis, with one of those geologists, Jack Schmitt, suggesting the moon could provide a rich source of helium-3 for nuclear fusions.
Since then, no humans have landed on the moon, with even unmanned missions finding it tough.