The new space race: building a sustainable economy on the moon

Something to look forward to: The concept of a lunar economy, once confined to science fiction, is rapidly becoming a tangible reality. Nations and private companies are racing to establish a foothold on Earth's celestial neighbor to harness the moon's natural resources to construct scientific infrastructure and develop capabilities for future deep space missions. This modern-day lunar gold rush has attracted diverse participants, from established space agencies to innovative private firms. One such company in this space race is the Texas-based firm Firefly Aerospace. On January 15, Firefly launched its Blue Ghost 1 mission, marking a significant milestone in the development of an Earth-moon delivery system. Currently en route to the lunar surface, the Blue Ghost lander faces a series of challenging tasks. These include entering lunar orbit, executing a controlled descent to Mare Crisium in the moon's northern hemisphere, surviving extreme conditions, deploying scientific equipment, ... Read full article.