Moon resources being explored by multiple countries

The idea of mining the Moon is becoming a real possibility. Yury Borisov, who leads Russia’s space agency Roscosmos, said efforts to explore and use the Moon’s resources have started. The Moon is mainly covered by regolith, which is a layer of crushed rock. This material could be useful in building structures, landing pads, and roads on the Moon. NASA is working on a project to process ice from the lunar south pole. They aim to collect at least 15 metric tons of ice by 2030. From this, they expect to produce around 10 metric tons of oxygen and 2 metric tons of hydrogen. Ice has been detected in several craters, and these resources could help support life and fuel rockets. However, water is not easy to find. Extracting just one liter of water requires processing about 100 truckloads of regolith. Solar energy is another abundant resource on the Moon. Harnessing this energy has been possible since 1966 when the Soviet Union's Luna 9 mission achieved the first successful use of solar power on the lunar surface. While solar energy is accessible, methods for extracting minerals and water are still being developed. Various space agencies, including NASA and other international organizations, are making strides in this area. Several commercial companies are also exploring ways to extract lunar resources.