New Startup Quantum Space is Planning to Build a Robotic Outpost Near the Moon

The Moon is sure to be a hotspot of economic activity as human commercial endeavors start to expand into space.  Not only is it a ball of resources with a relatively small gravity well, but it also happens to be our nearest neighbor.  But to unlock that potential, companies will have to build up an infrastructure that will allow for the exploitation of those resources.  Enter Quantum Space, a new start-up from a group of heavy-hitting space experts looking to help make that potential a reality – by building a robotic spaceport around the moon.

They won’t just stop at one spaceport, either.  Quantum Space is dedicated to building spaceports at every orbit that might be potentially useful to either scientists or businesses.  Those orbits include the Lagrange points around the moon and eventually around other bodies in the solar system.

That’s a tall order for a company that was just founded in 2021.  But if nothing else, it has experience on its side.  Three of the four co-founders have over 30 years of space experience each, including a former Acting Director of NASA and a serial entrepreneur who has made enough money from sales of his former company that can bankroll this new one for a while.  

It might just be long enough to get the company’s first mission off the ground.   Currently, Quantum space plans to launch a robotic station into the L1 point of the Earth-Moon system in 2024.  They have a long way to go until they get there. Still, according to a press release, the company plans to focus on “rapid technological advancement,” which it will certainly need to achieve its ambitious timelines.

Even if those timelines are hit, there is no guarantee that there will be any demand for a robotic service platform orbiting in the Earth-Moon system.  At least not necessarily in the timeframe Quantum Space hopes to launch its new product.  Even so, it’s great to see private enterprise taking the next step toward building a fully fledge space infrastructure, especially around the Moon.  If you’d like to help in that effort and happen to live in Maryland or are willing to relocate there, Quantum Space is hiring -you can find open positions on their LinkedIn page here.

Learn More:
Quantum Space – Quantum Space poised to enable the cis-lunar space economy
UT – Paul Spudis’ Plan for a Sustainable and Affordable Lunar Base
Science & Technology Policy Institute – Demand Drivers of the Lunar and Cislunar Economy
The Verge – New company run by former NASA leader aims to build robotic outpost near the Moon

Lead Image:
Artist’s conception of a fleet of robotic spacecraft in Cislunar orbit.
Credit – Quantum Space