THE MOON IS SO HOT RIGHT NOW!

The moon is hot right now! We’re not talking temperature, we’re talking about the flurry of activity and buzz mounting as governments and private industry begin to heavily compete, not only to send humans there again but to increase both scientific and commercial exploration.

The next giant leap in space exploration is underway. Two relatively recent lunar discoveries are fueling this latest space race:

Researchers found mountains near the moon’s north and south poles that are continuously bathed in sunshine. They determined that solar panels placed near the mountain peaks could power a human colony for up to two weeks, especially useful during each two-week-long lunar night.

There’s excitement being generated by moon shadows as well. Space probes recently found there are significant reserves of ice nestled in the shadows of deep craters near the moon’s poles. Native water makes living on the moon more possible. It can also be used to create hydrogen and oxygen for rocket fuel.

Major organizations, including NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), the Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS), the China National Space Agency (CNSA), and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) are gearing up. Private groups, such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin are all fired up as well. And startups are competing for the $30 million Google Lunar XPrize. Check out the latest below.

COUNTRIES ON THE MOON

We haven’t heard much about lunar landings since the US and Russia last sent humans to talk on the moon in the 1970s, however in 2013, China landed the Chang’e-3 spacecraft and Yutu rover on the moon four years ago. Chang’e 3, named after Chang'e, the goddess of the Moon in Chinese mythology, continues to operate.

Now earth-based governments are shooting for the moon again!

In 2018, CNSA plans to land another probe on the dark side of the moon to study territory that has never before been directly explored.

NASA has been testing a mining rover called Resource Prospector, planned to launch around 2020.

Russia’s ROSCOSMOS has teamed up with ESA on the new Luna 27 exploratory series, including landers, a lunar-satellite data link, and a surface drilling operation.

In February, India’s ISRO broke a record when it launched 104 satellites into orbit, besting the previous record—37 satellites on a Russian rocket in 2014. It’s aiming for the moon in hopes to develop new capabilities and advantages right here on earth.

PRIVATE MOON ENTERPRISE BOOM

Blue Origin is working on a space delivery service -- kind of like a cosmic rocket-fueled Amazon, that would bring equipment and supplies to the icy crater regions and would make life on the moon more comfortable.

SpaceX has announced plans to send tourists on a flight around the moon. And, at the at the ISS R&D Conference in Washington, DC, this past July (2017), founder Elon Musk made the case for a permanent human outpost on the moon. He also unveiled plans for a new launch vehicle exuberantly named “BFR” (for “Big F**king Rocket”).

GOOGLE LUNAR XPRIZE

Google Lunar XPrize is a privately funded competition which will award $30 million to the first group to land a rover on the moon, drive it 500 meters, and transmit high-definition “mooncasts” back to earth. All must be accomplished by March 31, 2018.

Five teams have now been authorized to compete, including startups from from Team Indus (India), SpaceIL (Israel), HAKUTO (Japan), Moon Express (Silicon Valley), and Synergy Moon (international coalition).

Rules specify that no more than 10% of each team’s budget can come from government funding.

Each team will send people and equipment on the 238,900 mile journey. Two of the teams, Indus and HAKUTO, have agreed to collaborate on a rideshare and will split the prize if they win.

LOOK UP TO SEE FOR YOURSELF!

If you want to connect with the beauty of the moon very soon, check out the International Observe the Moon Night on October 28, 2017. That night, the moon will be in its first quarter phase and only half-lit. It is a time when everyone everywhere around the world can look up at the moon, behold its beauty, and take the opportunity to learn about and celebrate lunar science, exploration, and cultural significance.

InOMN is sponsored by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter with support from NASA's Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI) and the Lunar and Planetary Institute.

If you want to see the next beautiful lunar mega-event with your own naked eyes, look skyward this coming January (2108) when you can see a spectacular red lunar eclipse.

Read more about Beautiful Moons in Rare Beauty: October Harvest Moon, The Power & Beauty of Moons, Thailand Lights Up Moon Now and Beautiful Now Moons Discovered.

And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Mind/Body, Soul/Impact, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Arts/Design, and Place/Time, Daily Fix posts.

Want more stories like this? Sign up for our weekly BN Newsletter, Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr. Join our BeautifulNow Community and connect with the most beautiful things happening in the world right now!

Do you have amazing photos? Enter them in this week’s BN Photo Contest. We run new creative contest every week! Now, it’s even easier to enter with the new BeautifulNow App!

Plus check out the rest of our App’s beautiful features. It’s free to download here.

IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by Bill Ingalls. “Expedition 50 Supermoon.” Courtesy of NASA HQ PHOTO.
2. Image: Courtesy of China National Space Agency (CNSA). “China's phase-three planning for robotic lunar exploration is focused on returning to Earth samples from the moon.”
3. Image: by Bring Back Words. “The moon over the mountains.” Utah.
4. Image: Courtesy of NASA. “LUNAR RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER: Mapping the Moon for future generations.”
5. Image: Courtesy of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). “A PSLV rocket.”
6. Image: Courtesy of Blue Origin. “Blue Origin's reusable rocket launcher.”
7. Image: “An illustration of the Falcon Heavy Rocket.” Courtesy of SpaceX.
8. Image: Courtesy of Moon Express. “The MX-2 doubles the capability of the MX-1 in Earth-moon space and brings the inner solar system within reach.”
9. Image: Courtesy of  SpaceIL. Lunar Lander.
10. Image: Courtesy of Moon Express. MX 1.
11. Image: by Marlon Malabanan. “First Quarter Moon.”
12. Image: Courtesy of NASA. Lunar eclipse progression.
13. Image: Courtesy of SpaceX. Moon rocket launch.
14. Image: Artist rendering of Falcon Heavy Rocket. Courtesy of SpaceX.
15. Image: by BN App - Download now!
16. Image: Courtesy of Moon Express. “Artist's impression of the MX-9 return vehicle launching from the moon toward Earth carrying lunar samples.”