DARPA to explore technology needed for moon-based economy – By Courtney Albon (Defense News) / Aug 16, 2023
WASHINGTON — The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is kicking off a seven-month study of the infrastructure and baseline technology needed to develop a moon-based economy within the next decade.
Through the lunar architecture study, dubbed LunA-10, DARPA aims to establish an analytical framework for “rapid scientific and commercial activity on and around the moon,” between 2025 and 2035, the agency said in an Aug. 15 statement.
“A large paradigm shift is coming in the next 10 years for the lunar economy,” Michael Nayak, program manager in DARPA’s Strategic Technology Office, said in the statement. “To get to a turning point faster, LunA-10 uniquely aims to identify solutions that can enable multi-mission lunar systems.”
Those “multi-mission systems” could include dual-use military and commercial technology, like a wireless power station that offers communication and navigation capabilities, Nayak said. He likened the agency’s potential role in spurring the lunar economy to its contributions to the origin of the internet.
