MARCH 30 — Have you heard of the “moon economy”?
It has attracted attentions not only from scientists, but also long-term investors, because it is a potential driving force of next generation of global growth, extending economic activities beyond the boundary of the Earth.
The dreams of scientific novelists, private investors and scientists — from extracting resources such as water ice for fuel, to building lunar infrastructure that supports deep-space logistics and manufacturing has never come so close to us. In this emerging vision, the moon is no longer just a destination for exploration, but a strategic platform for future industries, supply chains, and technological dominance.
Artemis II Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion Spacecraft, which is ready for its launching in the next few days, is the first crewed mission to orbit the Moon since the end of the Apollo era more than half a century ago. Artemis II serving a critical role in a broader long-term space strategy: to establish a sustained human presence on the moon and lay the foundations of lunar economy.
Unlike Apollo programme, Artemis II is not a national programme of the States, it is fundamentally an international project, reflecting a wider effort to build the foundations for a permanent lunar presence rather than a one-off return to the moon.
So, why moon?
Strategically, two reasons.
The moon is not important only because of its resources, including hydrogen-bearing ice, regolith, and helium, but also because of its strategic location as a future interchange for deep-space missions, communications, and logistics. For example, lunar regolith contains metal perchlorates, which are a toxic and pollutants on Earth, can be extracted to produce breathable oxygen and metallic byproducts for construction of habitats.
Meanwhile, helium-3 deposited on the moon from solar wind, has long been discussed as a potential fuel for next-generation nuclear fusion, promising high energy output with minimal radioactive waste. With countries reported successful lab-scale nuclear fusion experiments, it is time to explore sustainable source for future full-scale development.
Before human can utilise the resources on moon, creating a self-sustaining industrial ecosystem that air, water, and materials can be effectively recycled under extreme lunar conditions is a must.
That is technically challenging because the absence of atmosphere resulting in intense radiation and huge temperature swings. With only one-sixth of Earth’s gravity, many engineering operations are become problematic. Gravity-driven phase separation requires major modification using rotating equipment, membranes, capillary flow, or electrostatic handling.
However, this microgravity condition can reduce settling and segregation, improving uniformity of some materials processing, and support high-purity crystal growth, additive manufacturing, and closed-loop manufacturing systems.
Today, Artemis is no longer a small coalition but a rapidly expanding geopolitical bloc, with over 60 countries having signed the Artemis Accords
Malaysia’s decision to sign the Artemis Accords is more than a diplomatic gesture; the move fits neatly with Malaysia Space Exploration 2030 (MSE2030), emphasising the significance of strengthening international cooperation and networks, participation in peaceful space programmes, and improving the country’s strategic position in the international arena.
For participating countries, involvement in Artemis II is a critical step in shaping the standards, norms, and ethics that will govern human activities beyond Earth. Through the Accords, participating countries are aligning on principles such as transparency, interoperability, peaceful use, and the responsible utilisation of space resources. Questions that we never thought before, such as who can extract lunar resources, how safety zones are enforced, how data is shared, mitigation of conflicts are no longer theoretical.
Operation these principles under Artemis programme can one day turn them into real mission practices and engineering standards in lunar governance, much like early maritime laws that shaping global trade centuries ago. Participating countries not only following rules, but helping in writing rules, influencing the ethical and regulatory foundations of the emerging space economy.
There are many countries contributing to Artemis II. For instance, Canada developing Canadarm3, an autonomous, AI-enabled robotic system; JAXA is collaborating with industry partners to develop a pressurised lunar rover, allowing astronauts to travel long distances across the moon’s surface while sustaining life-support systems for extended missions.
European Space Agency (ESA) provides the Orion European Service Module, which is a mission-critical component responsible for propulsion, electrical power, thermal control, and life-support consumables. Meanwhile, Australia focuses on regolith collection and in-situ resource utilisation (ISRU) to supporting future lunar industrial activities.
In contrast, countries such as the Philippines and Singapore — despite being signatories — are not yet embedded into mission-critical engineering layers. Their participation remains focused on governance alignment, data-sharing frameworks, and long-term capacity building rather than the design and delivery of hardware systems that define the backbone of Artemis.
For Malaysia, joining the programme is significant to learn standards, certification habits, systems integration, and governance practices that future lunar industries will require, in which the macroeconomic value lies.
In addition, it is also a catalyst for technology upgrading across wider economy, because lunar and deep-space programmes demand capabilities that spill over into civilian industries, such as advanced electronics, precision manufacturing, materials engineering, systems reliability, and high-spec project management. These are exactly the kinds of capabilities that can lift up the value chain, strengthening high-skilled employment, and reduce dependency on labour-intensive assembly work over time.
This Artemis-linked participation can help domestic industries and universities to absorb frontier know-how earlier, become more competitive in niche supply chains, and narrow the technological gap between advanced economies, in a sector where standards and first-mover advantages matters.
The question now is not whether the moon economy will emerge, but will Malaysia playing a role in shaping it?
The real challenge lies in translating this access into capability. Building industries that can contribute to space-grade systems and embedding into future supply chain, investing in talent that can operate at the frontier of engineering and science. If done right, Artemis is not just about reaching the Moon, it is about elevating Malaysia in the global technological order.
* Phar Kim Beng is a professor of Asean Studies and director of the Institute of International and Asean Studies, International Islamic University of Malaysia. Jitkai Chin is from the Department of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Petronas and an expert committee member in the Centre of Strategic Regional Studies.
** This is the personal opinion of the writers or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
