Beyond Artemis: Why the Moon Matters for the Future of Space Operations

The United States is preparing to return astronauts to the Moon through the Artemis program. More than 50 years after the Apollo era, the question naturally arises: Why go back? The answer is not limited to exploration alone.

Returning to the Moon advances three strategic objectives: It enables new scientific discovery, supports international cooperation in lunar exploration, and begins building the infrastructure necessary for sustained human activity beyond Earth orbit. Taken together, these goals make a return to the Moon a logical next step in the evolution of the space domain.

The Moon remains an extraordinary platform for scientific discovery. Lunar geology preserves a record of the early solar system that has remained largely unchanged for billions of years, and studying that record can deepen our understanding of planetary formation, the evolution of the Earth–Moon system, and the broader history of our solar neighborhood. The lunar surface also offers unique opportunities for astronomy and other scientific research that cannot easily be conducted elsewhere.

Lunar exploration provides an opportunity to strengthen international cooperation in space. The Artemis Accords are built around peaceful purposes, transparency, and cooperation. As more nations and commercial providers prepare lunar missions, coordination and shared expectations for responsible behavior will become increasingly important.

But perhaps the most consequential reason to return to the Moon is that such an effort would begin to extend the operational footprint of human activity beyond Earth orbit. For most of the space age, space operations have been concentrated around Earth. Over time, that region has evolved from a place of experimentation into a vital layer of global infrastructure supporting a wide range of activities, including communications, navigation, weather forecasting, and national security missions. These functions are now enabled by a mix of government and commercial capabilities, with private sector participation expanding rapidly and contributing to an increasingly dynamic environment involving governments, private companies, and international partners.

The next phase of space development will likely extend that activity outward into the cislunar region between Earth and the Moon. Operating in that environment will require more than just launch capability and exploration systems—sustained activity will require operational capabilities that allow missions to function reliably over long periods. As activity expands, the space community will need to address issues such as coordination among multiple operators, responsible proximity operations, logistical support, and the long-term sustainability of space environments. Many of the operational techniques relevant to these activities, such as rendezvous, inspection, and other forms of in-space servicing and logistics, are already being developed and demonstrated in Earth orbit today. Significant private and public investment in the aerospace sector has accelerated this progress, helping to transition capabilities that were once largely experimental into operational realities.

As these capabilities mature, policymakers and operators are increasingly focused on how to manage a more complex space environment. Governments and industry are working to improve space situational awareness, develop norms of responsible behavior, and ensure that space operations remain safe and predictable over time. As activity expands toward the Moon, these same governance and coordination challenges will extend into a new region of space.

All of these factors make returning to the Moon strategically important beyond the exploration missions themselves. Early activity in the lunar domain provides an opportunity to develop the operational practices, partnerships, and governance approaches needed to support a more complex space environment in the decades ahead. The choices made today about how missions operate and interact in the lunar environment will help shape the norms and standards that govern future activity throughout cislunar space.

History suggests that the development of new frontiers follows a familiar pattern: Exploration demonstrates what is possible. Over time, infrastructure, logistics, and operational services evolve to support sustained activity. Space has followed this trajectory in Earth orbit, and it is likely to follow a similar path as human activity expands farther from Earth.

In that sense, the importance of returning to the Moon depends not only on reaching the surface again but on taking the next step in the long-term expansion of human activity in space.

The Moon is both a destination and a proving ground. By returning there now, the United States and its partners can help shape the next phase of space development while establishing the foundation for a future in which exploration, science, and economic activity increasingly extend into the beyond.

Tahara Dawkins is the director of policy at Astroscale U.S. She previously served as the chief of staff for the National Space Council.