the lunar gateway space station goes online a starship undocks heading towards the surface of the moon a nasa orion spacecraft has transported four astronauts from earth to the lunar space station two have been transferred onto the starship hls the human landing system these are the first astronauts to begin work on building the first lunar base marking the beginning of the industrial age on the moon an age which brings lunar dust shields lava tube habitats light bending towers and the magnetic lunar railroad and human dna is sent to storage vaults on the moon as an extinction backup cube satellites orbit the moon scouting for lunar icy water viper rovers are prospecting for different types of lunar ice at the south pole prime ice drills are deployed to harvest the ice from below the lunar surface the ice is needed to make fuel water and oxygen other rovers explore and map nearby lava tubes with 3d lidar scanners testing begins on mixing the moon's loose soil the regolith and a plant-based glue to create a 3d printing building material the first artemis habitation and life support modules are delivered to the lunar south pole on earth a treaty is signed to preserve culturally significant sites of lunar history the tranquility base and the first footprints are listed as historical sites and are protected from nearby landings that would destroy the areas with lunar dust an electrodynamic dust shield is built and begins testing a moving electrical field like how hair sticks to a balloon with a charge is used to repel lunar dust protecting spacesuits solar panels and habitats the cosmic starlink network goes online connecting the moon and the gateway space station to earth and to mars a new command center and telecommunication facility is seen being built the construction phase for china and russia's international lunar research station the ilrs begins experiments to turn lunar regolith into living soil progresses the crew at the artemis base camp refuels an uncrewed launch vehicle with propellant manufactured on the moon testing liftoff of the first vehicle powered by lunar rocket fuel the russian and chinese ilrs program begins building their own lunar space station the deep space transport spaceship transports cargo and crew members to mars it shuttles between lunar and martian orbits maintenance happens in orbit around the moon satellites send astronauts the first emergency solar flare evacuation warning giving them time to seek cover inside the habitats lunar paraterraforming construction of a large transparent dome serves as a greenhouse it receives the name the lunar world house plants help recycle organic human waste and convert co2 into breathable oxygen crops are genetically modified to be more resistant to radiation and better suited to grow in low gravity plants are also farmed to create the 3d printing glue used for construction fueling the growing industrial age on the moon the lunar bases begin to grow faster and faster it takes 15 days for a cargo ship to sail from the united states to europe it only takes three days to reach the moon two bases are now established at the south pole of the moon the ilrs and the artemis base over 20 countries now have a presence on the moon from india and mexico to australia and germany two space stations orbit above these lunar space stations are transfer hubs rather than using large spacecraft which need heat shields and air brakes to return back to earth small shuttle spacecraft are used instead to transport crew and cargo down to the surface of the moon the crude robotic science base the international lunar research station is a town-sized settlement rovers patrol and prospect the lunar surface the ilrs has established lunar-based astronomy and earth observation capabilities and biomedical experiments have begun at the artemis base teams of scientists and explorers occupy the facility robotic rovers pour layers of hardened lunar soil onto inflatable dome shells they get the nickname the hobbit houses the hardened soil protects the structures from micrometeorites and radiation work is underway to build the crater telescope and a temporary shelter has been established within a lava tube these underground tubes were formed when volcanic lava left large passageways underground suitable for the construction of protected shelters with stable temperatures the two main bases are located at the south pole nearby the shackleton crater the moon rotates once on its axis every 27. 3 days and a day on the moon is 29. 5 days on earth away from the poles areas experience a very long night making solar energy production a challenge the sun is always on the horizon at the poles here there are permanent shadows in the craters the low temperatures in the shadows allow for icy water to survive and at the poles it is possible to maintain constant communications with earth fuel production facilities on the moon are now being used to refuel spacecraft on their way to mars from earth there are even training facilities on the moon for martian astronauts the neil armstrong terra solar farm goes online marking a milestone in the industrial age of the moon an insect was found in the hydroponic greenhouse nobody knows where it came from but it looks like life always finds a way university students begin deployments to the moon for funded research missions swarm robotics are now present on the moon micro rovers 8 by 4 centimeters 3 by 1.
5 inches in size have solar panels on board the tiny robots navigate to each other and connect to form one large solar panel they are used for setting up temporary mining outposts spacex sends the first boring tunnel digger to be used for converting lava tubes into permanent structures and habitats the lunar mining rush lunar mining expands and territorial zones of national influences develop securing resources aluminium and titanium are mined along with rare earth metals such as neodymium and lanthanum companies rush to mine isotope helium-3 used in fueling fusion power reactors on earth and the moon it is not radioactive and does not produce any dangerous nuclear waste solar flares have bombarded the lunar surface with helium-3 so large quantities are found without regulation a winner-takes-all mentality has developed tensions begin to rise testing begins for the first asteroid mining mission to redirect an asteroid into lunar orbit the lunar crater telescope goes online it is one kilometer 0. 6 miles wide and located on the dark side of the moon using the moon as a shield the telescope is free from earth's electrical noise and free from radio noise generated by the sun the crater telescope observes the cosmos gathering data on the very early universe a time before the first stars were born a treaty is signed at the u.
