With the recent advent of several new technologies over the past decades since the last lunar landings, human habitation of the white celestial object has been seeming increasingly likely. With the abundance of enhanced future energy sources which are currently being studied, such as that of Helium-3, colonization of the moon appears to be a suitable next step for human advancement. Several organizations, such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, and different world governments have been enticed by the idea of expanding humanity beyond the atmosphere of our planet, but NASA seems to have taken this a step further through their proposals to create housing on the moon following their plans of the Artemis missions. 

Several have pointed out possible disadvantages of leaving Earth and heading towards the other bodies of our solar system, including Mars and the Moon. The popular astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson has, through several of his own podcasts, emphasized the importance of taking care of our planet instead of immediately leaving it. However, several critics of humanity’s partial departure from Earth fail to realize the possible benefits of expanding beyond the Earth.

First of all, by leaving Earth humanity immediately exposes itself to several new possibilities regarding technological advancement. Human habitation on the moon in combination with recent and continuing advancements in technology considering nuclear fusion would allow for massive ameliorations considering energy consumption. This would simultaneously reduce the amount of carbon emissions and pollution when considering future prospects. It may be deduced that as a result of human expansion beyond Earth, we would also be healing the planet’s atmosphere through the use of new energy sources which shall be brought back to the home planet.

In addition to this benefit, humanity would see travel times across Earth shorten greatly due to how expansion out of Earth would motivate greater spaceship advancement. For nearly a decade, SpaceX has been working on its Starship, which will be equipped with a booster to aid it in exiting the atmosphere. Starship, aside from holding the prospect of bringing humans to the moon, also holds the prospect of supplying the moon missions and eventually bringing humans to Mars. However, SpaceX also wants to have the rocket serve as an alternative to long airline times, reducing several hours long trips across the world to just less than an hour. Humanity’s advancements on the moon in terms of creating housing would create a demand for more resources, leading to the development of rocket ships designed by companies such as SpaceX and in turn leading to huge advancements for humankind.

With companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin constantly working to advance their technology in the new and growing sector of space exploration, it would be wise to promote such advancement considering the economic benefits. New industries concerning lunar mining and aerospace engineering would begin developing, increasing productivity and competition among several businesses. SpaceX and other space industries have repeatedly emphasized that their goals extend beyond the sphere of Earth, particularly with SpaceX’s founder Elon Musk emphasizing his desire for humans to set foot on Mars by the middle of this century. Allowing humanity to extend to the moon would potentially allow us to discover more about space and the sciences, which can additionally allow us to make groundbreaking discoveries and let us reach further than just Mars.

Setting up new habitats on the moon may also prepare our species in setting up for habitation on other planets of which colonization has already been speculated. The moon offers conditions like no other place near home. The only suitable places to be somewhat trained in the necessary abilities required to survive in space are only certain centers on Earth. However, with the extension of humanity to the moon, we open ourselves to new doors that not only allow for the refinement of new astronauts who will carry us across the solar system, but also new techniques of habitation which will allow us to refine mistakes of which may be made on the moon.

For these reasons, it may be reasonable to deduct that homes on the Moon would lead to advancements in several categories of which would not only benefit humans beyond the moon, but also on Earth. This allows for the study of new energy sources benefiting those on Earth and possibly returning the planet to better ecological conditions than the present.