Exploring the Moon will give us a better understanding of living and working in space. It is our first step in exploring the solar system.
The current principal long-term objectives among space agencies — reiterated in the Global Exploration Roadmap — are to land a crewed spacecraft on Mars and establish sustained human presence. To do that considerable advances in science and technology are necessary. We first need to establish a presence on the Moon, as ongoing lunar-based activities will accelerate necessary tech and science learnings. The Moon is more than a stepping-stone to Mars though. There is mining potential for a variety of natural resources such as metals, minerals, elements and compounds; water and oxygen can be extracted from the lunar regolith. These are all necessary raw materials for sustaining human lunar and space endeavors.
An imminent, significant step in achieving the shared exploration vision is to land a human crew on the Moon. NASA has announced they will do this with their Artemis program. A lunar orbiting space station, Lunar Gateway, is in development internationally to facilitate various Moon surface, cislunar, and deep space missions. Space agencies and private companies alike are making substantial investments into commercial space ventures. Important examples are cargo transport, payload ride-shares, and in-situ resource utilization. This expansion of lunar exploration must be supported with reliable data services. The Lunet Platform’s purpose is to ensure connectivity remains uninterrupted within the lunar environment.