Commercial Lunar Landers and the Promise of Sustainable Exploration

Article

“Commercial Lunar Landers and the Promise of Sustainable Exploration” by Matthew Shindell
Published in Quest Volume: 31 #1 (2024)

Abstract

The year 2023 was supposed to see multiple commercial landers head to the Moon and initiate a new era of lunar exploration and economic activity. Unfortunately, none of the planned efforts successfully landed. This article looks briefly at the history of two aspects of this story—it explores the history of the idea of lunar in situ resource utilization and its relationship to the idea of a lunar economy and sustainable exploration and examines the history of one commercial firm, Astrobotic Technology, Inc., to illustrate the pivotal role of NASA support in bringing new commercial firms to the table.

Citation

Shindell, Matthew. “Commercial Lunar Landers and the Promise of Sustainable Exploration.” Quest: The History of Spaceflight Quarterly 31, no. 1 (2024): 11-15.