Moon race, private competition in focus as space powers gather in Milan – Reuters
MILAN, Oct 26 (Reuters) – As space powers gather in Milan this week for the International Astronautical Congress (IAC), the spotlight will be on the intensifying race to the moon, a competition increasingly being driven by private enterprise.
From NASA to China and the European Space Agency, agencies around the world are making ambitious plans to send humans back to the lunar surface, with ambitions stretching further to setting up lunar outposts. The private sector is rapidly joining the fray, seeking to commercialize space and bring down the cost of accessing it.
“The pace and scope of international cooperation and investment are driving the space economy to a new level,” said the director general of the European Space Agency (ESA), Josef Aschbacher, on the sidelines of the congress.
The growing private sector is a significant shift for an industry traditionally dominated by governments. Firms like SpaceX, Blue Origin and Rocket Lab are building launch vehicles and lunar landers, while others are developing infrastructure such as space-based communications and resource extraction capabilities.
“The commercial space sector is already taking on a larger share of the overall space industry,” Aschbacher said. “It will increasingly play a crucial role in driving innovation and accelerating the development of new technologies.”
One major focus will be the Lunar Gateway, a space station planned for orbit around the moon, that could serve as a hub for both public and private ventures, helping them gain access to the lunar surface.
ESA’s Aschbacher said the agency is considering opening the gateway’s logistics and communication system to commercial activities. That means companies could access the space station to support their own lunar endeavors.
Alongside the gateway, plans for a future International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) involving several nations, including China and Russia, will be in the spotlight at the congress.
“The ILRS is a project to build a lunar base to foster multilateral collaboration in space,” said Chinese space agency administrator Zhang Kejian.
The burgeoning private sector is not just limited to launch services. Some startups, such as UK-based company Spacebit, are building small robots, called lunar rovers, to explore the lunar surface and even venture into lunar caves, looking for resources that could help sustain future moon missions.
However, space exploration comes with costs, and navigating legal and ethical considerations related to space resource use will be essential. Who gets access to these resources and how they are shared are topics that need to be tackled.
“One thing I think is important is that, before any major commercial or national activities are undertaken in space, we need to work out an agreement to be able to deal with the question of sustainability in terms of what we leave behind on the Moon and elsewhere,” said UK astronaut Tim Peake.
While competition will likely intensify as companies and space agencies chase opportunities, many industry experts emphasize the need for cooperation. “We see cooperation on several levels: across sectors – industry and government – and between different nations,” said ESA’s Aschbacher. “The new era of exploration and utilization is more achievable when we combine our efforts and resources.”
Space resources, in the long run, hold potential for unlocking new economic possibilities. Lunar water ice could potentially be extracted and used for fuel or even breathable air, helping reduce the reliance on expensive fuel and other supplies being launched from Earth. It is also seen as a vital step towards space sustainability.
“Water on the Moon could change the paradigm for space exploration,” said Chris Newman, director of ESA’s Space Exploration Directorate.
As the global focus shifts to the Moon, competition and collaboration will continue to drive space exploration. This, combined with technological advancements, promises a future where the lunar surface may hold new secrets waiting to be unlocked, offering opportunities for both scientific breakthroughs and commercial ventures.
