The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) plans to begin test mining on the Moon before 2032. At the first stage, the United States expects to extract water and oxygen from the soil, then to develop deposits of iron and rare earth metals on the Earth’s satellite. The Russian road map in 2041–2050 assumes the beginning of the extraction and use of water, as well as oxygen, on the Moon.
The United States will conduct its first mining tests on the Moon within the next decade. NASA employee and rocket scientist Gerald Sanders spoke about this. The space agency intends to quantify potential resources, including energy, water and lunar soil, in order to attract commercial investment. “We are trying to invest in the exploration phase, evaluate the resources so that outside investment makes sense and can lead to production development,” Sanders is quoted as saying Reuters.
NASA will soon send a test drilling rig to the Moon. The fossil processing plant is planned to be built on the surface of the Earth’s satellite by 2032. In 2020, NASA launched the Artemis program. Its main goal is the exploration of the Moon, the construction of a near-lunar station and the preparation of conditions for the colonization of the Moon.
It is planned to send Russian cosmonauts to the Moon in the period from 2031 to 2040, follows from the report of the Russian General Designer for manned space systems and complexes, General Designer of RSC Energia, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vladimir Solovyov.
It is noted that at this stage of development of the natural satellite, it is planned to begin manned expeditions, including the first landing, as well as geological research. Construction of the lunar base itself is planned for the period from 2041 to 2050. In addition, the roadmap emphasizes that during this period it is planned to consolidate Russia’s priority on the Moon.
Also in 2041–2050, the roadmap assumes the beginning of the extraction and use of water, as well as oxygen, on the Moon. In addition, specialists plan to develop production technologies from local resources. For this purpose, experimental mining and production complexes, as well as drilling and excavation equipment, will be used on the Moon.
In addition, the roadmap talks about the use of lunar resources for space exploration after 2050, including the extraction of rare resources and support for deep space expeditions. For these purposes, it is planned to create complexes for the production and storage of fuel components, orbital assembly and refueling facilities, as well as a complex for the extraction of rare resources on the Moon.
