Mining the Moon May Not be Farfetched: Private Companies Plan to Extract Resources

Mining isn't a new concept. But can you imagine mining the moon? It's not all that farfetched, according to researchers. It's possible that the moon could be mined in the future for its resources.

There are an estimated 1.6 billion tons of water ice at the moon's poles. In addition, it has an abundance of rare-earth elements located beneath its surface. This makes the moon a possible prime target for future mining missions.

Already, Texas-based Shackleton Energy Company (SEC) plans to mine the vast reserves of water ice on the moon and convert it into rocket propellant in the form of hydrogen and oxygen. This would be sold to space partners in low Earth orbit. Essentially, the plan is to build what is a "gas station in space" in which rocket propellant would be sold at prices significantly lower than the cost of sending fuel from Earth.

But how does Shackleton plan to accomplish this feat? It wants to extract the water ice by sending both humans and robots to mine the lunar poles. Then, it plans to use some of the converted products to power mining hoppers, lunar rovers and life support for its own activities.

This isn't the only company that's interested in this endeavor, though. Moon Express, another privately funded lunar-resources company, is also interested in using water ice as fuel. It plans to fuel its operations and spacecraft using "high-test peroxide" (HTP).

"All interested parties agree that the moon-one step from Earth-is the essential first toehold for humankind's diaspora to the stars," wrote Richard Corfield, a science writer for Physics World, in a news release.

The full article can be found in the February issue of Physics World.

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