All aboard the moon train: DARPA is trying to figure out how to build a lunar railroad

Wed, 03/20/2024 - 07:53

An artist's concept of what lunar mining could look like. An astronaut is seen taking measurements in the foreground while rovers and various instruments are in the background of the illustration. The scene is set on the surface of the moon. — An artist's illustration of what mining on the moon might look like.
NASA

Astronauts could one day hop a train on the moon.
DARPA, the famed US research agency, has asked a firm to come up with a lunar railroad concept.
NASA wants astronauts to live on the moon, which means developing lunar power, transport, and comms.

Astronauts may one day be able to hop on a train to travel the moon's surface.

DARPA, the US Defense Department's secretive research agency, has been tasked with figuring out how to support astronauts who could soon be living on the moon for extended periods.