China vs NASA: The Battle for Moon Mining Dominance Heats Up
In order to bolster the sustainable space travel market & compete with China, NASA is focused on mining metals on the moon.
A search for university researchers to explore using moon metals in 3D printing & other material sciences technologies has been launched by NASA.
The efforts of ASA to leverage space resources to reduce fuel consumption on Earth are increasing.
The LSTR (Lunar Surface Technology Research) program is part of NASA’s LSII (Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative), & it funds early-stage technology that could transition into large production contracts.
AstroForge, a venture-backed asteroid mining startup, is also working on on-site extraction & processing technology.
Jeff Bezos-founded Blue Origin showcased its Blue Alchemist program using simulated lunar rock to make solar cells & transmission wire.
Bill Nelson, Administrator of NASA, warned that China might get to the Moon under the guise of scientific research, & NASA wants to beat them to it.
The primary focus of NASA’s efforts for "mission consumables" are water & oxygen.
Metal mining is a bit farther down the road.
Trapped in craters, water on the moon, once extracted, could provide everything from hydrogen fuel to oxygen for astronauts.
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