Science and commerce may be headed for a clash on remote terrain: the Moon. For the first time in half a century, NASA is sending a craft to the lunar surface, with the launch at the end of this year of Peregrine Mission 1, a lander built by the private company Astrobotic Technology. Dozens of other craft will soon follow, many as part of NASA’s Artemis program to return astronauts to the Moon. Most researchers are looking forward to a new golden age of exploration and science. But some are worried.
They foresee that the advent of private landers will lead to a “Moon rush,” as companies race to grab valuable minerals and resources while trampling over scientifically important lunar sites. With space law offering little or no protection to these areas, researchers are starting to lobby governments and international agencies to do something before it’s too late.
“This is urgent,” says astronomer Richard Green of the University of Arizona, who is setting up a lunar sites working group for the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Astrophysicist Martin Elvis of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian has been highlighting the issue. “We’ve got to point out the uniqueness of these sites. They could be lost forever,” he says.
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