Conclusions

We set out at the outset to attempt to understand the likely scale and timing of the initiatives involved in creating a true lunar economy. We wanted to understand the subelements of lunar commerce. This is because the stated aims of having a permanent presence on the Moon would not be possible without a lunar commerce component. And sustainability is indeed a key element in the space policy area today. At a more basic level, we have been trying to answer those questions posed by the man/woman-in-the-street. Questions about why are we doing any of this at all, and what are the benefits. We have tried to understand what we have been doing in space, and why. Why the early astronauts took those risks. What we learned from the science. What has improved over the last 50 years, and whether we can really do business on the Moon. And, moreover, we have tried, via the careful work of my colleagues who built the Lunar Commerce Portfolio, to provide a reality check of where we stand today. Did we succeed?