Flexible Path to the Moon: Science, Commerce, and Security in Lunar Orbit

The following lists illustrate some of the science, commerce, and security activities that can take place in, or that can be enabled by capabilities in, lunar orbit.

Science

• Deploy, assemble, inspect, and/or service robotic lunar science missions


• Contribute to lunar sample return missions


• Deploy, assemble, inspect, and/or service robotic Earth observation missions for "full Earth" measurements


• Use telerobotics for missions at the lunar surface. This can be done from Earth, but lunar orbit may provide some advantages depending on mission details: shorter communications delay (including communications relays), less requirements for communications infrastructure, more direct communications paths at times, simulation of Mars or Venus telerobotics from orbit.


• remote sensing observations from the astronauts' spacecraft


• test missions for operations at more distance locations (for example, Mars or Venus telerobotics, direct remote sensing, sample return, or deploying, assembling, inspecting, or servicing robotic spacecraft)


• jump-start capabilities that can be useful for science missions for other destinations (for example: fuel depots, satellite deployment, assembly, inspection, and/or servicing nodes, low-cost space access, etc)


• prepare for later lunar surface astronaut science missions (for example: exploration mission assembly or servicing infrastructure in lunar orbit)

Commerce

• jump-start capabilities that can be useful for commercial missions for other destinations (for example: fuel depots, satellite deployment, assembly, inspection, and/or servicing nodes, low-cost space access, etc).


• Space tourism at lunar orbit (for example, for lunar views)


• Support of commercial robotics at the lunar surface


• Prepare for later commercial lunar surface missions (for example, exploration assembly/servicing node in lunar orbit)

Security

• jump-start capabilities that can be useful for security missions for other destinations (for example: fuel depots, satellite deployment, assembly, inspection, and/or servicing nodes, low-cost space access, etc)