By Jeffrey A. Newman
China and Russia have signed an agreement to construct a permanent human-based research station on the moon powered by a nuclear power plant. According to news reports, thestation will be located on the moon’s south pole and a second base at the moons equator. China has had one lunar landing in 2013 when it placed a rover on the moon. One focus of the effort is to ship significant quantities of lunar minerals back to earth. The lunarresearch station, a permanent, manned lunar base located on the moon‘s has also attracted 17 countries wishing to join the program — including Egypt, Pakistan, Venezuela, Thailand and South Africa. Its groundwork will be laid by China’s 2028 Chang’e-8 mission, which will be the first time landing an astronaut on the lunar surface.
This project is laying the foundations for manned landings on Mars The timetable for travel to Mars has not been set yet. Reaching Mars will be powered by solar, radioisotope and nuclear generators, according to reports. The timing of the initial phases of the project are apparently advancing quickly.
The Moon contains several key minerals and resources that could benefit countries on Earth, primarily in high-tech industries, clean energy, and space exploration.
Major lunar minerals and resources with Earth benefits include:
- Rare earth elements (REEs): These are critical for manufacturing electronics, renewable energy technologies (like wind turbines and electric vehicles), and advanced optics. Although rarer on the Moon than Earth, lunar REEs could supplement Earth’s demand, especially given China’s current dominance in global REE production.
- Helium-3: A non-radioactive isotope abundant on the Moon and very scarce on Earth, helium-3 holds enormous potential as fuel for future nuclear fusion reactors, which could provide a clean, nearly inexhaustible energy source. One kilogram of helium-3 mixed with deuterium could power the U.S. for a year, making this a highly lucrative resource if fusion technology becomes viable.
- Water ice: Found in permanently shadowed lunar craters, water ice could be used to provide life support, radiation shielding, and crucially, can be split into oxygen and hydrogen for rocket fuel, supporting sustained lunar and deeper space exploration.
- Metals such as:
- Iron, aluminum, titanium, magnesium, calcium: Important for construction both on the Moon and potentially on Earth or in orbit-based manufacturing.
- Precious metals like platinum group metals (PGMs) including palladium, rhodium, and platinum: These have high economic value on Earth and are found in asteroid debris scattered on the Moon’s surface. Estimates suggest many lunar craters contain commercially viable concentrations of PGMs worth trillions of dollars, but challenges remain in cost-effective transport.
- Other elements: Uranium and thorium (for potential nuclear applications), potassium and phosphorus (essential nutrients useful for future lunar agriculture), as well as lithium, beryllium, zirconium, niobium, and tantalum, which have niche applications in industry and technology.
Benefits to Earth:
- Energy: Helium-3 as a clean fusion fuel could revolutionize global energy production.
- High-tech industry support: Rare earth elements and precious metals are vital for electronics, medical technologies, and clean energy infrastructure but currently face supply risks.
- Environmental preservation: By mining resources like metals and water on the Moon to support space activities, Earth’s own finite resources and environment may be less strained.
- Space exploration: Water ice turned into fuel can radically reduce the cost of missions deeper into space, enabling broader economic and scientific benefit
Jeffrey Newman is a whistleblower lawyer representing whistleblowers reporting insider trading, doctors who become whistleblowers and Medicare and Medicaid fraud. He also represents whistleblowers in IRS tax evasion cases, SEC violations and tariff fraud cases. Jeff frequently writes on events affecting world economic dynamics including AI. He can be reached at Jeff@JeffNewmanLaw.com or at 978-880-4758
