Turning the Moon into Mankind’s First Space Center

This year will be a turning point in relations with humanity monthas we begin to lay the groundwork for a permanent presence on its surface, we are setting the stage for our natural satellite to become an industrial hub. Mars and beyond.

The development of a lunar economy consists of three critical elements: the ability to get there, the means to refuel to return, and profitable businesses operating on the lunar surface. And in 2025, technologies in all three areas will finally begin to materialize.

For nearly a decade, the titans of private space exploration—SpaceX and Blue origin– They entered the race to go to the moon. SpaceX’s latest rocket, Starship, is at the heart of this effort. At nearly twice the height (121 meters vs. 70 meters) and three times as wide (9 meters vs. 3.7 meters) as its Falcon 9 predecessor, Starship certainly has dimensions, but it’s also designed to change the way we think about space. travel Unlike traditional rockets that are used once and then discarded, Starship can be reused for multiple flights and even refueled while in orbit. Its increased power means it can deliver about 100 metric tons of payload to the Moon in a single trip—the equivalent of all the payloads sent to the Moon in history combined, in just one go.

Conventional rockets can only deliver approx 0.1 percent A starship can deliver about 2 percent of its fuel to the moon. Imagine this: If a conventional rocket was a moving truck, it would be like using an 18-wheeler to deliver a suitcase. The cost per ton of payload delivered to the lunar surface by starship drops dramatically, making lunar missions more affordable.

Not far behind Blue Origin Blue Moon Landing. Although smaller than a Starship with a capacity of about 3 metric tons, Blue Moon is designed to deliver heavy equipment and infrastructure. Together, these vehicles lay the foundation for the nascent lunar economy.

In 2025, SpaceX plans to demonstrate Starship’s full suite of capabilities, including in-orbit refueling and refueling — reducing lunar transportation costs and making the Moon more accessible than ever. It is part of an ongoing series of orbital flight tests that began in 2023 and will continue through 2024 and will be completed in 2025.