What’s the Business Model for Mining the Moon?

In-Space Customer

First wave would be space agencies, and then customers on the Moon who need resources to build assets. The business model is to support a developing lunar economy, the initial phase is enabling terrestrial customers to explore and verify resources, therefore a lunar presence develops. Key areas are:
In-situ resource utilisation (ISRU) support: For customers engaged in extracting and processing lunar resources, they require specialised missions for further resource assessment, transportation of extracted materials between processing facilities, or deployment of ISRU equipment.
Data and mapping services: On-lunar customers require detailed and up-to-date resource data, terrain analysis, and mapping information and tailored consultancy services.
Mission services and control: Partners can continue provide mission planning, operation, and control services for various activities on the Moon, even for customers with their own landers or infrastructure. This leverages their expertise in lunar missions and provides a service-based revenue stream.

Terrestrial Customers

Here the primary target customers are terrestrial mining and energy companies seeking to diversify their resource portfolios and secure access to high-value lunar resources like Platinum Group Metals and water ice. The goal is to establish a commercially viable lunar resource extraction industry, first by de-risking exploration, then attracting investment, and controlling the supply of landers and resource location data.

A Lunar Mining and In-Situ Resource Utilization Supply-Chain are the long term goals...

1. The Moon's Commodities: Agencies Lead the Way, Companies Follow-up.
Ongoing research is required to determine how to exactly to extract Oxygen, and potentially Water (from the Lunar South Poles). We are keeping abreast of the developments (e.g. NASA and ESA missions), and focussing on commercial methods of exploration, extraction and processing, coupled with the means for providing transport and energy (solar vs. nuclear). Our focus is on identifying the Supply-Chain of technology and emerging companies that can make this possible.

2. Establishing Commercial Claims on the Lunar Surface.
Predicating any investment in a Lunar Mining Operation, including on-the ground exploration using custom Rovers, or even extraction of Lunar regolith and then subsequent processing, is the establishment of commercial rights. A commercial right to explore, extract and process is required from a legal and investment case point of view. One of our key priorities is to develop a proprietary road map for establishing such commercial rights.

About the Lunar Resources Registry

The Lunar Resources Registry (LRR) identifies valuable resources on the Moon using remote sensing data to identify unique locations on the Moon rich in resources, such as Platinum Group Metals, Precious Metals, Rare Earth Elements, Helium 3 and Water.
LRR enables commercial and non-commercial organisations to acquire rights to explore and extract resources.
Lunar Resources Registry UG was funded by Space Ventures Investors Ltd and both founders, and is an Alumnus of the European Space Agency Business Incubation Centre Hessen 2023, managed by CESAH.
In Sep-2024, Lunar Resources Registry signed an MOU with Thales Alenia Space’s - Space Business Catalyst.
If you have an academic or commercial interest in the Lunar Resources Registry and would like to add a location of interest, please get in contact.