When biz meets sci-fi: Chandrayaan-3 is India's ticket to the Moon economy
A corporate sci-fi? At this stage, it all sounds like a Hollywood sci-fi film — people from the Earth land tentatively on the Moon; rove and poke around to get the lie of the land; bring supplies from the Earth; hunt for minerals, gases and water; build houses, labs, space stations and tourism facilities; and compete to gain from the business all that activity generates. The only difference between this vision and the sci-fi movies is that it's closer than it appears. Under its Artemis mission, the US is aiming to land people on the Moon.
Possibly, China and India will follow the US. Private businesses, especially numerous startups, have sprung around the lunar transport. Many companies such as Blue Origin and Elon Musk's SpaceX are already planning to take tourists to the Moon.
The Moon will not only become a human colony, but also humanity's last post for space research, a launching pad for deep-space missions. It is estimated that within a few decades thousands of people could be living on the moon: scientists, government representatives, soldiers, thrill-seeking tourists and businesspersons. Once the stuff of legends, the Moon will become another business opportunity.
The Chandrayaan-3 success will position India as one of the few countries controlling the largest chunk of the Moon economy within decades.What is the lunar economy? The lunar economy involves all the activities associated with the production, use and exchange of lunar resources on the Moon’s surface, in lunar orbit and on Earth, says a PwC report. All the steps taken in the direction of establishing human presence on the Moon contribute towards the lunar economy. The lunar economy has three distinct stages — first, transportation (rocket launches,
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