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Life on the moon may not be such a far-fetched prospect. For the first time in the human era, scientists are preparing not only to visit the moon, but also to live and build a life there.
The first human ever to cross the moon in December 1972 during the world’s first Apollo 17 mission. NASA has repeatedly stated that it intends to make the lunar surface habitable. The agency’s Exploration Technology Development Program aims to make the moon a place where humans can live for months.
In a new breakthrough, Voyager Technologies and NASA have signed on for the historic seventh private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, scheduled to launch in 2028.
“Manned Space Flights”: Changing the Legacy of Space Exploration
The lunar mission, designated VOYG-1, focuses on a low Earth orbit operation involving the private sector that will create a sustainable framework for carrying people on safe, reliable and cost-effective space flights.
According to the company, this will change the legacy of space exploration for generations. Voyager describes the mission as a “bridge” between commercial space stations and space platforms. A key aspect for success would be advanced integrated systems and operational protocols.
Voyager Chairman and CEO Dylan Taylor said in a company press release that the agreement with NASA solidifies the decades-long partnership and “reaffirms our belief that the infrastructure being built in low Earth orbit today is the launch pad for humanity’s future in space.”
He added that from the International Space Station’s (ISS) first commercial airlock to its seventh private astronaut mission, Voyager has made human spaceflight “stronger, more capable and more sustainable at every step of the journey.”
Will the Moon be an “operational domain” rather than a “temporary target”?
The International Space Station (ISS) Voyager mission, expandable habitats and commercial station development aim to make Earth’s natural satellite a full-time “operational area” rather than a temporary destination. Voyager CEO Taylor, speaking on CNBC’s Converge Live in Singapore, described that by the 2030s, people will live permanently on the moon, just as they do on Earth.
By the end of the 2020s, we will have people on the moon, and we will have a lunar base – it will likely be an inflatable habitat with some life support, Voyager’s CEO said.
People will be able to live on the moon like any other city in the 2030s, the Voyager CEO noted, taking a cue from New York City. “You will be able to sit on your porch in upstate New York and look at the moon, and there will be lights on the moon,” he said, “because there will be people living and working on the moon.”
Moon economy boom?
According to Dave Cavossa, president of the Commercial Space Federation, the lunar economy would boom in the coming years. Numerous space agencies and companies have shifted their focus to investing in the lunar mission on a global scale to return humans to the lunar surface.
Just last year, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said he intended to realize his long-standing goal of building a “self-growing city” on the moon. “It is only possible to travel to Mars if the planets align every 26 months (a travel time of six months), whereas we can launch to the Moon every 10 days (a travel time of two days),” Elon Musk wrote on X.
“This means we can complete a lunar city much faster than a Martian city.”
The space economy is expected to reach a whopping $1.8 trillion by 2035, enabled by advanced rocket-based technology. A report by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with McKinsey & Company said investments jumped from $630 billion in 2023, a compound growth rate of 9% per year. Space will play an increasingly important role in addressing global challenges, from disaster warning and climate monitoring to improved humanitarian response and greater prosperity.
