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Incredible map shows places on the Moon where we could find ‘infinite energy’ or trillions of minerals by 2030
A new space race is heating up after half a century, with Russia, China and the United States competing to land robots, human astronauts and even lunar trains on the moon.
The prize is huge, with resources ranging from “rare earth” minerals used in electronics to helium-3, a potential energy source that could power a nuclear fusion revolution offering infinite clean energy.
Morgan Stanley has previously suggested that the global space industry could be worth $1 trillion a year by 2040, and could make Elon Musk (behind the Space X company) the world’s first billionaire.
The map below shows some of the missions headed to the Moon in the coming years and some of the treasures thought to be hidden on its surface, from rare earth minerals to helium-3.
Nations compete for the south pole and the ‘dark side’ of the moon
NASA plans to send the first woman to Mars in the middle of this decade, and both NASA and Russia and China are planning a longer-term lunar base.
Defense contractor Northrop Grumman is drawing up plans for a railroad on the moon to transport goods between bases, and the moon’s south pole is believed to contain reserves of water (which can be converted into fuel for spacecraft mining asteroids or landing on Mars).
NASA has talked of a “lunar gold rush,” and Russia has said it will launch more lunar missions and then explore the possibility of a joint Russian-Chinese manned mission and even a lunar base.
Rare earth metals, used in smartphones, computers and advanced technologies, are available on the Moon, according to Boeing research.
Helium-3 is a form of helium gas that is rare on Earth, but NASA says there are estimates of a million tons on the Moon.
Helium 3 could provide nuclear power in a fusion reactor, but since it is not radioactive, it would not produce hazardous waste (although so far nuclear fusion is not yet financially viable despite recent advances).
NASA’s Nova-C lunar lander launches from Kennedy Space Center in Florida
Artemis astronauts graduate this year (Getty)
Most plans for “lunar mining” involve robots doing much of the work, supervised by humans, either on lunar bases or on orbiting space stations.
But the law about who “owns” the Moon or its resources is unclear.
More than 80 countries already have a presence in space.
Philosopher AC Grayling writes in his new book Who Owns the Moon?: “A space Wild West is emerging.
“The consequences for peace and stability on Earth, already tenuous by conventional standards… could be, and most likely will be, like gasoline to the fire.”
Water will be an important resource on the moon
The 1966 United Nations Outer Space Treaty says no nation can claim sovereignty over the Moon, although lawyers say it is unclear whether a private entity can claim areas.
In 2020, the United States announced the Artemis Accords to establish “safe zones” on the Moon, but Russia and China have not signed on.
The south pole is being the target of China and NASA, which has identified 13 possible landing sites near the Moon’s south pole for Artemis III, which will return humans to the Moon.
Only 12 people have ever walked on the Moon, all of them men, and no one has been on the Moon since Gene Cernan and Jack Schmitt in December 1972.
