Debrief: A Military Lunar Lander?

COLORADO SPRINGS–U.S. President Donald Trump has laid claim to Canada and Greenland, but when will he lay claim to the Moon?

The question is not as out of this world as it seems. Trump’s interest in Greenland and Canada appears to be materially driven by mining rare earth elements, amid other vague “national security” concerns. Both regions of terra firma hold vast reserves of the scarce stuff. The Moon is thought to also contain significant reserves of rare earths, as well as other strategic minerals.

On April 4, the issue became even more urgent as China suspended the export of seven critical rare earth elements in response to Trump putting triple-digit tariffs on Chinese goods imported into the U.S. China accounted for 72% of rare earth compound and metal imports into the U.S. between 2019-2022, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Rare earths–typically permanent magnets, and minerals used in batteries and electronics–are vital for advanced technologies such as electric vehicles, wind turbines, smartphones, computers, and aerospace products, including jet engine actuators, fly-by-wire systems, radar and precision-guided munitions–to name a few.

Minerals from the Moon will not replace what can be found on Earth anytime soon, but that hasn’t stopped the possibility from receiving serious thought. China returning to the Moon before the U.S. is a driving fear among many in the U.S. space industry.

“If we do not lead the way and we are following forever, the consequence ... could be extraordinary,” Jared Isaacman, Trump’s nominee for NASA administrator, said April 9 during his Senate confirmation hearing. “Even if you are talking about things that have a low probability. Let’s say on the lunar surface helium-3 becomes a new source of fusion power, it could shift the balance of power here on Earth.”

Helium-3 is not a rare earth element, but startups such as Interlune of Seattle say the gas is expensive enough to justify mining on the Moon. In addition to uses in fusion power, helium-3 might be useful for quantum computers, another technology that has national security implications.

Delivering surveying, prospecting and excavation equipment to the Moon will require a lunar lander. Keeping an eye on rivals and the possibility of lunar claim jumping may require a militarized spacecraft.

With lunar resources top of mind, ispace-US and Redwire signed a memorandum of understanding at the Space Symposium here on April 8 to jointly pursue development of a new variant of ispace-US’s APEX 1.0 lunar lander. The next-generation spacecraft would be used for commercial exploration and science missions for the NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative–and possibly modified for military missions to watch what is happening on the Moon.

Ispace-US is a subsidiary of Japan’s lunar lander startup ispace. Redwire manufactures a variety of space components including solar panels, sensors and radios. Ispace of Japan has a smaller lunar lander en route to the Moon, with a landing attempt anticipated for June 6. Ispace-US is initially building its larger Apex 1.0 as a subcontractor for Draper on CPLS mission CP-12 scheduled for 2026. That relationship with Draper is nonexclusive and ispace-US may pursue future government work as a prime contractor in partnership with Redwire, says Elizabeth Kryst, CEO of ispace-US

A militarized lunar lander would share many of the same features as a commercial variant, although its supply chain would likely be more closely controlled, its communications encrypted and it would likely have more sensors to scan its surroundings, Mike Gold, president of civil and international space with Redwire, tells Aviation Week.

Lunar equipment might also have dual-use commercial and military applications. For example, ispace’s lunar communications relay satellites, Alpine and Lupine, to be deployed in orbits around the Moon during the CP-12 mission in 2026, could host alternative position, navigation, and timing, environmental monitoring, and cislunar space domain awareness technology demonstrations payloads, ispace-US has said.

For lunar south pole landing sites–strategic spots with water ice deposits needed to sustain long-term habitation on the Moon–the two satellites also have about 70% simultaneous visibility of the lunar surface and Earth, Ispace-US says.

“We cannot effectively track Chinese and adversary activities in cislunar space,” Gold says. “I truly believe that the country, or countries, that can support [space situational awareness] are going to have control over cislunar space.”