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Workshop: Towards the Use of Lunar Resources

Workshop: Towards the Use of Lunar Resources

3-5 July 2018
European Space Research Technology Centre (ESTEC)
Noordwijk, the Netherlands

Workshop Outcome, update 27 September 2018

The outcome and major findings of the meeting are provided in this publication [pdf, 1 MB].
The publication is also linked from the right-hand menu.

About the workshop

ESA and other agencies around the world are preparing to send humans back to the Moon. This time it will be to stay and enable the next steps on humanity's adventure to Mars and onwards into the Solar System. The longevity and sustainability of this endeavour may depend on our ability to harness the resources available to us at the lunar surface and to use these to provide the consumables, fuels, propellants and materials that future explorers will need.

 
A lunar base made with 3D printing.
Credit: ESA/Foster + Partners

To achieve this we must prepare the capabilities upon which In-Situ Resource Utilisation (ISRU) would depend, and understand the opportunities it presents.

In support of this effort, ESA is hosting a workshop on the utilisation of lunar resources, to be held at the European Space Research Technology Centre (ESTEC) in the Netherlands, on 3 to 5 July 2018. The meeting emphasises the role that lunar resources can play in supporting exploration goals and the synergies with the utilisation of resources at Mars and from asteroids.

This meeting aims to bring together experts and stakeholders from sectors in space and on Earth to:

Identify:

  • Use cases and drivers for lunar resource utilisation
  • Relevant European strengths, heritage and expertise
  • Community aspirations for the future
  • Opportunities to engage in Space Resource and to create partnerships
  • Outcomes that should be delivered in the coming years

Raise awareness of:

  • ESA technology activities for lunar resources
  • ESA missions to prepare for lunar resource utilisation
  • Opportunities to partner with ESA

Contribute to:

  • The establishment of a European space resources community
  • The evolution of a space resources strategy
  • Preparations for future missions and technology development activities

Workshop Contributions and Programme

Contributions to the workshop are sought in areas including:

  • Future exploration scenarios as customers of lunar resources
  • Architecture trade-offs and evaluations
  • Resource prospecting needs and approaches
  • Polar volatiles, pyroclastic deposits, regolith and other potential feedstocks
  • Extraction and beneficiation needs and approaches
  • Production of consumables and propellants
  • Materials production, manufacturing and construction
  • Operational approaches and constraints
  • Environmental challenges
  • Lessons from and crossovers with terrestrial resources
  • Policy and legal aspects
  • Economic potentials on various time scales
  • The role of commercial space and approaches to establishing sustainable business models

The programme will include:

  • Invited talks
  • Contributed presentations
  • Interactive discussion sessions
  • Networking opportunities

 
Preliminary Programme

Update 5 June 2018: The workshop preliminary programme is available for download [pdf, 230 KB].
 

Registering and Contributing

The deadline for registration is 18 June 2018 for attendees and 10 May 2018 for presenters.

Registration is required to attend the workshop. To register for the event and to contribute please go to the registration page:

https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/space-resources-2018/

Here you can register to attend the workshop and, if applicable, provide information on the contribution you would like to make. No abstracts are required for the meeting.

When registering to attend you can opt to make a presentation and provide information about:

  • Your background and interest in lunar resources
  • The subject you would like to present
  • The status of work that is relevant to your presentation and future plans.

Note: the deadline to register for presenters is 10 May 2018.

Contact

Enquiries related to this workshop can be directed to: explorationstrategy@esa.int

 

Last Update: 1 September 2019
19-Mar-2024 07:18 UT

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https://sci.esa.int/s/8J4gvPw

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