DARPA Launches Study On Starting A Lunar Economy In 10 Years
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The Moon is so hot right now, metaphorically speaking. Several US government agencies, private space ventures, and foreign governments like China are plotting for mankind's return to the lunar surface over the next decade. Unlike the days of Apollo, the modern-day race to the Moon involves establishing a sustainable presence and a thriving economy on and around Earth's natural satellite.
In an attempt to guide ongoing efforts in establishing a lunar infrastructure, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) kicked off a seven-month study dedicated to developing an analytical framework for scientific and commercial activity on the Moon. Through the 10-Year Lunar Architecture, or LunA-10, study, DARPA is seeking ideas for technology and infrastructure concepts that could help build a Moon-based economy within the next decade.
A large paradigm shift is coming in the next 10 years for the lunar economy," Michael Nayak, program manager at DARPA's Strategic Technology Office, said in a statement. To get to a turning point faster, LunA-10 uniquely aims to identify solutions that can enable multi-mission lunar systems - imagine a wireless power station that can also provide comms and navigation in its beam."
[...] Luna-10 will select a group of companies that have an idea for lunar services, allowing them to work together to develop an integrated system for lunar communication, energy, transmission or other building blocks necessary to create a future economy on the Moon. The participating companies will be announced in October 2023, with the final report due by June 2024.
DARPA, however, will not fund the construction or transportation of any of the concepts developed as part of the study. Instead, the agency will provide its economic expertise to all LunA-10 teams to help analyze and validate definitions of a critical mass to create a thriving, survivable lunar economy," DARPA wrote in its statement.
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