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Paragon selected by NASA to develop lunar water collection and purification system

Image Credit: NASA’s Goddard Spaceflight Center

Paragon Space Development Corporation, a subcontractor for Dynetics which is one of the three companies NASA has selected to begin work on designs for human lunar landers, was just awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I grant to develop its ISRU Collector of Ice in a Cold Lunar Environment or ICICLE. The system will use a cold trap for collecting and purifying water from ice mining the permanently shadowed regions of the lunar poles. The purification and collection of lunar water is a critical step in generating in-situ propellant, breathable oxygen, and potable water for space settlements and the cislunar economy.

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Private investor reserves spot on Xplore’s first Moon Mission

As stated in a recent press release, noted space business investor and founder of Space for Humanity, Dylan Taylor has booked a payload on Xplore’s upcoming inaugural flight of its flagship Xcraft to the Moon. Although details of the payload have not been revealed, the mission of the nonprofit company is to expand access to space, train our leaders of tomorrow, and contribute to a culture of interconnectedness as we venture into the stars.

Artist concept of an Xplore Xcraft™ in the vicinity of the Moon. Credits: Xplore
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Legal implications of a cislunar economy

In an article in Live Encounters Magazine, Dr. Namrata Goswami articulates the legal challenges ahead as the major space powers race to capitalize on the potentially lucrative markets made possible by lunar resources. She argues that now is the time to establish the legal framework for enabling private ownership of resources and profitable businesses. The processes for how conflicts will be resolved over trillions of dollars worth of space resources among legal entities must be defined ahead of time. If international agreements are not developed she believes that there may be a “legal vacuum”, resulting in individual states taking matters into their own hands.