The Moon is emerging as a focal point for the next frontier in space exploration, with the lunar economy projected to reach USD 170 billion by 2040.[1] The recent growing interest in cislunar exploration is mostly driven by scientific activities, space mining, and continued exploration of the solar system via lunar bases. The term “cislunar space” refers to the region situated between Earth and its moon, spanning up to 12 times the distance from Earth to Geostationary Orbit (GEO), and encompassing an area approximately 2,000 times larger than Earth-to-GEO space.[2] Notably, between 2018 and 2030, more than 40 cislunar missions are planned to take off, involving about 80 spacecraft belonging to 10 different space agencies and commercial operators.[3] Among the planned missions, some remote autonomous exploration cislunar missions are already underway, while human visits to the Moon are planned to begin by 2025, with permanent bases expected in the 2030s.[4]
