This year will mark a turning point in humanity’s relationship with the moon, as we begin to lay the foundations for a permanent presence on its surface, paving the way for our natural satellite to become an industrial hub—one that will lead us to Mars and beyond.
Developing a lunar economy boils down to three critical elements: the ability to get there, the means to refuel for the return journey, and profitable enterprises operating on the lunar surface. And, in 2025, technologies in all three areas will finally begin to take tangible shape.
For nearly a decade, the titans of private space exploration—SpaceX and Blue Origin—have been locked in a race to get to the moon. SpaceX's latest rocket, Starship, is central to this effort. At nearly double the height (121 meters vs. 70 meters), and three times the width (9 meters vs 3.7 meters) of its predecessor, Falcon 9, Starship certainly has the size—but it’s also designed to change how we think about space travel. Unlike traditional rockets, which are used once and then discarded, Starship can be reused for multiple flights and even refueled while it’s in orbit. Its increased power means it can deliver about 100 metric tons of payload to the moon in a single trip—that’s roughly equivalent to all payloads sent to the moon in history combined, but in just one go.
Traditional rockets can deliver only about 0.1 percent of their total takeoff weight to the moon, but Starship, with its refueling capability, can deliver approximately 2 percent. Picture this: If a traditional rocket were a moving truck, it’d be like using an 18-wheeler to deliver one suitcase. With Starship, the cost per ton of payload delivered to the lunar surface plummets, making moon missions more affordable.
Not far behind is Blue Origin’s Blue Moon lander. While it may be smaller than Starship, with a capacity of nearly 3 metric tons, Blue Moon is designed to deliver heavy equipment and infrastructure, the tools that will turn the moon from a barren outpost into a thriving industrial base. Together, these vehicles are laying the groundwork for a nascent lunar economy.
In 2025, SpaceX plans to demonstrate Starship’s full suite of capabilities, including its ability to refuel in orbit and be reused—slashing the costs of lunar transport and making the moon more accessible than ever. This is part of an ongoing series of orbital flight tests, which began in 2023 and continued through 2024, and will do so in 2025.
Meanwhile, Blue Origin's Blue Moon lander is scheduled for its maiden flight in early 2025, marking a critical step in establishing the infrastructure needed for long-term lunar exploration and industrial activities.
Another major milestone in the race to the moon is scheduled for late 2025, when Nasa’s Artemis II mission plans to carry a crew around it, the first time humans have ventured far beyond low Earth orbit since the Apollo missions. This mission is a critical first crewed flight for Nasa’s Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System. It’s also a prelude for Artemis III, which will mark humanity’s return to the lunar surface in 2026.
Supporting Artemis’ mission is the Lunar Gateway, a space station that will orbit the moon and serve as a key logistics hub for missions to the lunar surface. In 2025, Nasa will make significant progress on the Gateway by launching and assembling its first modules, including those that will provide power, propulsion, and living quarters for astronauts. The Gateway will be crucial for making long-term lunar exploration possible.
Getting to the moon is only the first piece of the equation. A sustainable lunar economy depends on the ability to transport people and materials from the lunar surface back to Earth. The critical limiting factor for returning home is access to fuel for the return journey. The company I founded, Starpath, is creating the first “gas station” on the moon, with an end-to-end fuel production system on the lunar surface capable of turning icy regolith into rocket fuel. The three-part system involves a fleet of autonomous mining rovers that harvest the icy dirt, a processing plant that heats the ice to extract water, splitting the water into hydrogen and oxygen and then liquefying the oxygen, and a massive solar array that powers the entire operation. In 2025, we will demonstrate this technology at scale, enabling regular, low-cost travel between Earth and the moon—and beyond.
As these technologies take off, the moon will no longer be just a distant, desolate place. It will become the gateway to humanity’s future in space.
