Economic Development
For long term sustainability, a space colony should be close to self-sufficient. Mining and refining the Moon's materials on-site – for use both on the Moon and elsewhere in the solar system – could provide an advantage over deliveries from Earth, as they can be launched into space at a much lower energy cost than from Earth. It is possible that large amounts of matter will need to be launced into space for interplanetary exploration in the 21st century, and the lower cost of providing goods from the Moon might be attractive.
Read more about this topic: Colonization Of The Moon
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