UK's Lunar Journey: Navigating Opportunities and Challenges

The UK Lunar Community Workshop brought together the UK’s space and lunar communities in November. RAeS Aerospace Research Executive KEERTHI GOPALAKRISHNAN reports from the Royal Astronomical Society. NB: This article follows Chatham House Rules and therefore does not attribute comments to named individuals or organisations. The UK Lunar Community Workshop, organised by the Lunar Policy Platform and the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), in collaboration with the UK Space Agency (UKSA), took place on November 28th at the RAS premises in London. The goal of the workshop was to bring together the UK’s space and lunar communities to better understand where different views and interests intersect or diverge, to identify the opportunities and challenges ahead, and to discuss the steps the community needs to take to enable the flourishing progress of the UK’s lunar sector. The UK on the Moon Moon exploration represents enormous opportunities but a huge responsibility. (Image: AI) Opening the workshop, a senior representative from the UK Space Agency framed the Moon as both an opportunity and a responsibility. It was highlighted that space is too hard and too complex for any one country to pursue alone; therefore, lunar exploration and development must be global, open, and collaborative. At the same time, the UK places strong emphasis on planetary protection of the lunar environment, ensuring that it is not misused or irreversibly damaged. Compared to Low Earth Orbit (LEO), the lunar environment remains relatively pristine. This provides the international community with a rare opportunity to establish the right regulations and norms for planetary protection before lunar activities accelerate further. Lunar exploration also presents an opportunity for the UK to take on a leadership role, particularly in areas where it believes it can lead and perform best. Such initiatives demonstrate that the UK is on the ‘right track’. Rather than competing directly with other spacefaring nations, the UK’s strategy appears to focus on choosing roles where it can lead, collaborate, and add meaningful value. Science of the Moon, Science from the Moon “Moon is a museum, preserving secrets of the Universe.” (Image: AI) As missions to the Moon gradually move from plans to reality, a natural question arises: why go to the Moon in the first place? This question was addressed in the second part of the workshop, which explored the concepts of ‘Science of the Moon’ and ‘Science from the Moon’. The Moon is not just a destination; it is a scientific treasure trove. One explanation that particularly resonated was the idea that the “Moon is a museum, preserving secrets of the Universe.” Understanding the Moon’s formation helps answer fundamental questions about the early Earth and the Solar System. Unlike Earth, whose surface is constantly reshaped by geological activity, the lunar surface preserves records of ancient events. It contains evidence of galactic cosmic rays that have impacted it over billions of years, as well as particles from early Earth delivered by meteorites or collisions. This forms the basis of what is referred to as the Science of the Moon. Equally fascinating is the Science from the Moon. The lunar far side is naturally shielded from Earth’s radio noise and is considered the quietest radio environment accessible to humanity. With no significant natural or human-made interference, it offers an ideal base for astronomical instruments operating across a wide range of the electromagnetic spectrum. This makes it particularly valuable for studying the Universe’s early “dark ages” - the period before the first stars formed. The Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) mission, Lucy Night, plans to deploy a small radio telescope on the lunar far side to test these ideas. Even during the Apollo missions, astronauts conducted innovative experiments; for example, aluminium foil was used to study solar wind composition, demonstrating the Moon’s long-standing scientific value. Protecting the Lunar environment Should the Moon's heritage be protected? (NASA) With opportunity, however, comes risk. As lunar activity increases, concerns grow about environmental and cultural damage. Workshop participants raised several serious threats, including the destruction of heritage sites such as Apollo landing areas, dust plumes generated during landings, and debris created by surface impacts. There was broad agreement that the Moon must not repeat the mistakes made in LEO, where congestion and debris now pose significant hazards. Planetary protection, responsible use of lunar resources, mitigation of radio-frequency interference, and debris management strategies all need to be built into missions from the very beginning. Regulation, far from being a barrier, was widely viewed as essential for giving companies confidence while ensuring long-term sustainability. Cislunar commerce The odds of success. (Keerthi Gopalakrishnan/RAeS) Commercial activity around the Moon is already underway and it is clear that one of the key drivers of the emerging lunar market is the Artemis programme – NASA’s ambitious initiative to return humans to the Moon and establish a sustainable long-term presence there. The session also highlighted the UK’s contributions to lunar missions to date, most notably the Lunar Pathfinder project, part of ESA’s Moonlight programme, which aims to build lunar communication networks that will form a baseline for future lunar missions, and is currently scheduled for launch in 2026. These examples demonstrate that the UK’s strength lies in being a highly capable supply-chain provider for large international missions, as it does not yet have the capacity or budget to conduct in-house large missions. There was notable scepticism about the near-term commercial extraction of lunar materials for return to Earth. Technologies such as in-situ resource utilisation (ISRU) were widely seen as more realistic and sustainable, supporting exploration rather than mining for profit. Workshop attendees highlighted that the technology required to commercially return lunar materials is not yet mature. Even helium-3 extraction, often cited in popular discussions, was viewed as economically unviable for the foreseeable future. Instead, space commercialisation in the near future is more likely to focus on activities such as tourism. Lunar regulatory approach Making the UK regulatory regime ready for Lunar and Beyond Earth Orbit Missions. (Keerthi Gopalakrishnan/RAeS) Speakers also emphasised the importance of striking a balance between regulation and flexibility to enable commercial lunar activities. To achieve this, government, industry, and academia must work together, guided by three key principles: ambition, clarity, and empowerment in order to sustain both the Moon and the emerging lunar market. The UK is developing a Beyond Earth Orbit regulatory framework aimed at ensuring that UK-licensed missions are safe, responsible, and sustainable. This includes keeping cislunar orbit clean (with disposal strategies under development), protecting unique scientific opportunities, and coordinating with international partners, while ensuring that all nations can utilise the Moon with minimal conflict between missions. Currently, the UK is not actively pursuing the commercial return of lunar materials. Instead, the primary focus is on space exploration and on building the enabling technologies required to support it, such as lunar communications, in-situ resource utilisation (ISRU), and payload systems. As seen so far, the UK space sector is already actively involved in the modern lunar exploration effort and is investing in both the lunar economy and lunar science. From a regulatory perspective, the Outer Space Treaty remains central: lunar activities must benefit all countries, be carried out peacefully, and avoid harmful interference. Takeaways As the UK sets its sights on Lunar possibilities we must be careful to avoid a new space race. (Image: AI) If one message dominated the workshop, it was collaboration over competition. Participants strongly emphasised that the Moon should not become a new space race, and warned against a “West versus East” divide. The roles of organisations such as the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS) were discussed as potential facilitators for coordination and information sharing. Initiatives like the Open Lunar Foundation’s Lunar Ledger were highlighted as shared information platforms that could help prevent conflicts by increasing transparency around mission locations, frequencies, and activities. Looking ahead, 2026 was identified as a critical year for lunar activity. Reliable partners, clear lunar safety zones and streamlined information sharing will be essential. While national security concerns cannot be ignored, most participants agreed that transparency should be the starting point. The final session focused on finding a ‘red thread’ linking science, commerce, policy, and public engagement. Scientific missions depend on government funding, yet science also underpins the technologies that will eventually enable commercial activity. The challenge lies in explaining why lunar exploration matters to society. Unlike satellite navigation or communications, the benefits of the Moon are not immediately obvious. The suggested approach was to build public trust around long-term value. After all, technologies developed for the Apollo missions went on to shape modern electronics and communications. The workshop concluded with a call for continued collaboration and knowledge sharing across the community. The UK has strong capabilities in communications, navigation, regulation, and systems engineering, and is actively working to lead in these areas. The Moon is a stepping stone to the wider Solar System, but also a test of how humanity manages shared frontiers. With thoughtful regulation, international collaboration, and a clear vision, the UK can help ensure that our return to the Moon is not only successful, but also sustainable.