Nova-C lander built by Intuitive Machines has become the first privately developed spacecraft to successfully complete a soft landing on the moon’s surface.
While private companies have revolutionized the launch industry, their customers are almost exclusively satellite operators to provide imaging and communications services back on Earth.
“We’ve fundamentally changed the economics of landing on the moon, and we’ve kicked open the door for a robust, thriving cislunar economy”, said CEO and cofounder Steve Altemus of Intuitive Machines.
One possibility is mining for local resources to create hydrogen fuel for rockets or helium-3, a material that can be used as fuel in putative future fusion reactors.
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