There continues to be guesswork regarding resources available on the moon. Clearly, a leading hot topic is whether or not super-chilly water ice at the lunar south pole is truly ripe for the picking and processing into oxygen, hydrogen and other essentials needed for life support, even rocket fuel. Indeed, exploitable water ice is on NASA’s Artemis agenda, a prospect viewed as enabling a « sustainable » human presence on that bleak and cratered world. Lunar water ice is thought to reside within « cold traps, » permanently-shadowed regions, or PSRs. That elixir for life, along with a bountiful wellspring of other moon resources, could help shore up a self-sustaining space economy. But there’s a need for first things first. What’s urgently needed is a moon prospecting effort to show the « reserve » potential of the lunar south pole.
The US has identified the Moon as a possible military confrontation zone. The US Space Forces declare that the Moon can become an arena for military confrontation. In the future, it is possible to place guards there. China is considered as a possible opponent. The United States Space Forces say they are preparing to carry out their tasks near the Moon. As NASA implements its plans for the peaceful development of satellites, the military is going to work on security. To do this, they can place their objects in lunar orbits.
The 1967 Outer Space Treaty prohibits the deployment of military facilities on the Moon. Therefore, it can mainly be surveillance and tracking satellites. This task for the Space Forces is not as simple as it may seem. All existing systems are designed for use in Earth orbits. Therefore, it will be necessary to adapt them to large distances to the control center and new orbits. Lunar mining and Moon land claims fall into a gray area of international law, but negotiations are underway to avoid conflict and damage to spacecraft.
Read more on November 1st, 2024.