Multi-Phase Project Intends To Map Lunar Resources For Utilization

Blue Origin announced Project Oasis will be a multi-phase effort to identify critical resources on the Moon from orbit, assess them on the ground, and harvest and utilize them in situ. The project will be conducted with Luxembourg and its national space agency to generate the most detailed high-resolution maps of water ice, Helium-3, radionuclides, rare earth elements, precious metals, and more.

Blue Origin said the materials identified by Oasis-1 would be central to the expansion of humans into space for the benefit of the Earth. The water ice located by the exploration could provide sufficient hydrogen and oxygen for spacecraft propellant and position the Moon to become an off-Earth refueling station for orbital and deep space missions.

Pat Remias, Vice President for Advanced Concepts and Enterprise Engineering at Blue Origin said, "Once we know what's really there and how to access it, everything changes. Project Oasis creates the foundation for a thriving space economy that benefits everyone, including the billions of individuals on Earth who will benefit from space-based resources."

The fundamental challenge in the development of off-world habitats to support exploration of the Moon and beyond is the prohibitive cost of overcoming the Earth's gravity well to transport materials from Earth. Project Oasis seeks to reduce those costs by producing propellant and construction materials from resources already on the Moon.

By integrating low-cost space transportation with on-site resource utilization, Project Oasis would demonstrate that the construction of space infrastructure could become economically viable and strategically sustainable for long-term presence of humans on the Moon and beyond.

FMI:  www.blueorigin.com/