Moon Village Concept: Key aspects

From the earliest astronomy to the space race, mankind has witnessed an unceasing evolution in the area of exploration and use of space. With the International Space Station, an unparalleled level of cooperation has been achieved which has brought the astronomy to another level. The paradigm shift that we have witnessed in the recent times in the space activities can be best reflected in the ‘Moon Village’ concept which has been proposed by the European Space Agency. It has transformed the set of concrete actions and has created an environment where both international cooperation and the commercialisation of space can flourish.

Key points about the Moon Village concept are –

• The “moon village”, project is the result of concerted efforts of international collaboration between various nations, which in coming time will provide a base for science, business, mining and tourism as well.
• From a scientific perspective, moon is considered as very fascinating since it is closest to Earth and thus becomes a place where clues to the history of the solar system, including that of the early Earth and of the formation of the Earth-moon system, can be found. And that is the reason this project has been referred as a stepping-stone, a test bed which has to go further.
• The word village has been chosen for this concept since village is something where different people with different capabilities and different opportunities gather and build a community, and similar to that in this project also the idea is to bring together a variety of different actors from the public and private sectors.
• This project is open to any and all interested parties and nations. There are no specifications regarding the participation. Moreover, this project is not only confined to scientific and technological activities, but also covering activities based on exploration of resources and even tourism. It is precisely the open nature of the concept that would allow many nationalities to go to the Moon and take part while leaving behind them on Earth any differences of opinion.
• It is a joint group suited for multiple uses and open to multiple users. It will be served both by automatic and robotic as well as human capabilities in order to ensure flexibility and sustainability as well as to cater for potential contribution of all Nations. It will call for the provision of common services thus opening new markets.
• This project serves as a test bed for new governance schemes and alliances, allowing the emergence of new paradigms in science on from the moon, and also opening it to the involvement of general public with new immersive technologies.

The Moon Village is regarded as a “European-inspired initiative” where all the countries would contribute according to their capabilities and Europe will act as a catalyst in providing a conducive environment for the community of Nations to discuss, outline and co-develop, along with other stakeholders, the actual implementation of the vision.