What is the lunar economy and what opportunities it offers

The February 22 landing of Intuitive Machines' Odysseus is the first step in building a lunar economy.
It will take years for humans to live on the Moon and even longer before tourism becomes possible.
However, the landing of Odysseus marks a turning point.
Now, private commercial operators must be considered alongside explorers and would-be astropolitical land markers.
The development of the so-called lunar economy is therefore gaining ground, understood as the set of all activities linked to the production, use and exchange of lunar resources on the surface of the Moon, in orbit and on Earth.
What is it specifically and what opportunities can it offer? An analysis of this new and still little-known economic branch, promising for the near future.
Odysseus on the Moon: what happened and what is the lunar economy An American lander called Odysseus landed on the Moon on February 22.
The landing marks several firsts for the United States, namely: The first US landing in the 21st century and the first since 1972; The first commercial aircraft to land on the Moon; The first successful landing linked to NASA's Artemis lunar settlement project The robotic lander developed by Intuitive Machines landed safely despite the malfunction of the laser rangefinders that determine Ulysses' speed and altitude above the Moon.
The Odysseus carried a mix of private and government cargo, including works of art, but the vessel itself is not government-owned.
In 2019 Intuitive Machines won a contract with NASA to deliver a series of payloads.
The Intuitive Machines aircraft is therefore the first private attempt to land on the Moon, but not ever.
Previous efforts include the Israeli Beresheet lander, launched in 2019, which crashed during its final descent to the lunar surface when its engine (and other systems) shut down prematurely.
Subsequently, some missions managed by the Government managed to land on the Moon.
The next commercial attempt, by Tokyo-based company ispace in April 2023, failed on descent due to a technical problem.
The Americans tried more recently, with Pittsburgh PA-based Astrobotics sending a lander, called Peregrine, to the Moon in January 2024 but it failing.
With Odysseus, therefore, a private individual's moon landing was successfully inaugurated.
For this reason, we began to talk about the lunar economy with greater determination.
According to experts, the activities that characterize this economic branch are Transport & logistics, ISRU (In Situ Resource Utilization), Communication systems & PNT (Positioning, Navigation and Timing).
Odysseus brought a variety of commercial products related to future projects, such as thermal linings, namely: Spacecraft lining material from Columbia Sportswear; lander data archives from two organizations; spacecraft wrap material from Columbia Sportswear; The International Lunar Observatory Association flew two small astronomical cameras.
Artist Jeff Koons provided an artwork called “Moon Phases” installed on the lander.
Lunar economy, what future opportunities? Because space is difficult and landing on the Moon is even more complex, NASA has taken what they call a “shot-on-goal” approach to returning to the Moon.
This is based on the awareness that attempts, especially the first ones, can fail.
It has also been integrated with the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program.
The CLPS is an example of the government's continued commitment to this phase of lunar exploration and settlement.
The six payloads delivered by Intuitive Machines to NASA are the result of a $118 million project.
NASA payloads on this Odysseus mission primarily included technology demonstration units, such as: Doppler Radar for navigation; Navigation lighthouse; Fuel tank level indicator; Camera; Radio astronomy unit.
Non-NASA payloads came from academia, businesses, and NGOs: Spacecraft upholstery material from Columbia Sportswear; data stores on the lander of two organizations.
The International Lunar Observatory Association flew two small astronomical cameras.
Artist Jeff Koons provided an artwork called “Moon Phases” installed on the lander.
EagleCam, by students at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
As business cases are developed, there will be a lot of infrastructure to build.
The embryonic lunar economy may still need vital government support, but even once developed, there will be plenty of opportunity.