Technology

What Resources Can We Get from the Moon?

Published

1 month ago

March 23, 2025

Bruno Venditti

Graphics/Design:

Anna Diederichs

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What Resources Can We Get from the Moon?

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The idea of mining the Moon, once a concept of science fiction, is now approaching reality. According to Yury Borisov, head of Russia’s space agency Roscosmos, the race to explore and develop the Moon’s resources has begun.

This graphic highlights the resources identified on the Moon’s surface, based on data from the U.S. Geological Survey as of 2022.

Key Resources on the Moon

The Moon is almost entirely covered by regolith, a layer of pulverized rock that could serve as a versatile construction material. It has potential applications in building bases, landing pads, and roads.

Additionally, NASA is developing technology to process at least 15 metric tons of ice from the lunar south pole by 2030, aiming to produce at least 10 metric tons of oxygen and 2 metric tons of hydrogen. Radar signals suggest the presence of ice in numerous polar craters and surrounding areas. These resources could be crucial for sustaining life and fueling rockets.

Moon resources	Current classification	Recoverable with current technology	Plausible reserve in 30 years
Solar energy	Measured reserve	Yes	Yes
Helium-3 ³He	Inferred unrecoverable resource	No	Unknown
Bulk regolith	Measured unrecoverable resource	No	Yes
Regolith oxygen	Measured unrecoverable resource	No	Yes
Bound water and hydrogen	Inferred unrecoverable resource	No	Probably
Water ice	Minimal or no evidence	No	Unknown

Hydrogen could also be used to generate water, though it is relatively scarce on the Moon. Extracting just one liter of water would require processing approximately 100 truckloads of regolith.

Among the Moon’s most abundant resources is solar energy. The technology to harness it is well-developed, with its first successful use on the lunar surface achieved in 1966 by the Soviet Union’s Luna 9 mission.

How Close Are We to Utilizing Lunar Resources?

While solar energy is readily available, technologies for extracting minerals and water from the Moon are still in development. However, progress is being made by various national space agencies, including NASA, Roscosmos, the European Space Agency, the China National Space Administration, the Israel Space Agency, and the Indian Space Research Organization. Several commercial ventures are also working to advance lunar resource extraction.