At present, it is not fully known how much and what kind of resources exist on the Moon, however, the search for water resources on the Moon is a very popular topic these days. Is the water ice found at the south pole of the Moon suitable for the purpose of converting it into oxygen and hydrogen to provide the life needs of astronauts traveling there and fuel for their rockets?
The conversion and use of lunar water ice is also a priority issue for NASA's Artemis program, which could open the possibility of creating sustainable life in the harsh world of our companion celestial body. Water on the Moon collects in so-called “cold traps,” permanently shaded regions (PSRs). Access to water and other resources found there could go a long way in creating a self-sustaining lunar economy. But before we exploit the moon, it is worth clarifying some legal and economic issues.
Trend line
Above all, it is necessary to consider the extraction of water and other resource reserves located at the lunar south pole as an issue of great international concern. Civil and environmental engineer Clive Neal, who launched the campaign program in the United States, aims to achieve this as well, and presented plans for the International Lunar Resource Prospecting Campaign (ILRPC) at the 2024 International Geological Congress. Within the framework of the campaign, they are trying to draw attention to the fact that the exploitation and use The potential of lunar resources is in the common interest of all of us.
Lunar reserves include oxygen extracted from lunar dust known as regolith, which evenly covers the moon's surface. However, addressing them raises serious legal and economic questions.
Today, 30 planned and funded missions to the Moon are expected to be launched, and another 16 missions have been launched, not yet funded. According to Neil, the new campaign also implies that it is not necessary to launch new missions in order to exploit the resources of the moon, but to create an organization – not only the United States, but China – to monitor, control and coordinate lunar activity. It will be very important for Russia too. In order to carry out the campaign, an international organization is needed, which puts the interests of a particular nation in the background and keeps in mind the good of all humanity.
International attention
Our ongoing lunar missions show that examining the Moon's south pole arouses great interest internationally as well. the NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter For example, his space probe has been looking at volatiles found at the moon's south pole, the Korean materials, for a long time. Pathfinder Lunar OrbiterTo and Indian Chandrayaan-2 Like a mission.
According to Neil, it will be important for humanity to coordinate these missions and jointly extract volatiles from the Moon's south polar cap.
Future plans
In the near future, several international missions to the Moon are planned by the world's largest space agencies, and we will try to list the most important missions in terms of lunar raw materials and their main goals.
NASA Lunar Trailblazer: It aims to investigate the amount, appearance and distribution of water on the Moon by infrared mapping of the surface of our companion planet.
Volatile Polar Exploration Vehicle (VIPER) Moonwalker: The lunar spacecraft of NASA's Artemis program, which, although the space agency's budget cannot achieve it, could be created in the future with the help of other international commercial partners.
NASA's Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1: During the mission, in cooperation with private companies, a drone will be installed on the moon to examine the hydrogen content on the surface, which is necessary for the formation of water.
Lunar Polar Exploration Mission (LUPEX): A planned mission by the Japanese Space Agency plans to study volatiles on the moon's surface.
In addition to all this, the European Space Agency, as well as China and Russia, are also planning to send missions to explore the lunar south pole.
However, before we talk about who is entitled to the resources there, we still need to ascertain whether we are able to extract or use the water ice of the Antarctic Cap as a useful resource. Given these uncertain factors, the drive to share lunar resources may seem somewhat abstract, but according to Neil, it is absolutely necessary to ensure that all countries can share equally in the lunar resources that could be extracted in the future.
Article source: https://www.space.com/moon-lunar-resources-international-cooperation
comment
