[Reading Science] India's Successful Moon Landing... What About Space Power USA?

US DARPA, "Complete Moon Base Construction Technology Within 10 Years"
"Related Roadmap and Detailed Plan to Be Finalized by June Next Year"

India's Chandrayaan-3 has succeeded in the world's first-ever landing on the lunar south pole. What is the leading space development nation, the United States, doing?

Amid a global 'Moon rush' by space powers, the United States is drawing attention as it plans to complete the development of technologies necessary for building energy and communication infrastructure for lunar base pioneering within the next decade.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) under the U.S. Department of Defense announced on its official website on the 15th a '10-year Lunar Architecture (LunA-10) Capability Research and Development' plan that includes these details. According to the announcement, DARPA plans to establish a framework for developing various technologies over the next seven months to facilitate activities around and on the lunar surface for decades to come. Michael Nayak, DARPA Strategic Technologies Office Program Manager, stated in a press release, "There will be a significant paradigm shift in the lunar economy over the next 10 years," adding, "To respond swiftly, we plan to identify companies with technically rigorous business plans and promote collaborative innovation among them to devise commercially viable services on the Moon by around 2035."

This DARPA technology development schedule aligns with NASA's plan to build permanent lunar habitats as forward bases for Mars exploration. NASA is currently working on the Artemis program, which aims to establish a separate space station in lunar orbit between the Moon and Earth, build a base at the lunar south pole, and conduct long-term habitation while exploring the entire lunar surface.

Through the LunA-10 plan, DARPA intends to build robust and stable infrastructure that can support not only NASA but also companies aiming to explore the Moon for commercial purposes. The core of this research plan is the establishment of power transmission and information communication networks. The most promising method under consideration is the development of technology that uses composite lasers to remotely transmit and receive power and data simultaneously.

DARPA plans to accept proposals from companies interested in the LunA-10 research and development plan until the 6th of next month. Selected companies must submit an outline by the end of next month. Those finally chosen will receive $1 million in research funding, with the list announced at the Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium (LSIC) fall meeting held in October. The detailed final report on the LunA-10 plan will be presented in June next year following a mid-term report in April.