Moonstruck! International Aspirations in Cislunar Space

Interest in cislunar space is increasing, both nationally and internationally. Commercial space companies are interested at the prospect of harvesting potentially valuable resources from the Moon; nations around the world are interested in launching everything from lunar robotic missions to human landing missions and crewed science and research stations. Given the worldwide increased interest in this region, it is imperative that the United States develops capabilities to monitor, track, and assess these activities to protect our national interests and assets. This chapter offers key recommendations for the United States to push cislunar development forward on the civil, commercial, and security fronts amid the current state of cislunar play—and in the process, maintain its leadership in space. 

Authors: Angie Bukley and Colleen Stover

This paper was published in Space Agenda 2025, an effort by the Center for Space Policy and Strategy (CSPS) at The Aerospace Corporation to highlight and provide insights into some of the major space challenges facing policymakers. You can read the entire list of Space Agenda 2025 papers here.