With the signing of a memorandum of understanding, the Mexican Space Agency (AEM) and the Mexican company Dereum Labs announced their intention to collaborate with Airbus in the development of the necessary technologies for lunar resource extraction. This agreement will allow the creation of the Mexican In-Situ Resource Utilization Program (ISRU) for lunar extraction. It fosters the development of a comprehensive process for resource extraction, including the construction of a prototype for terrestrial testing.
“This agreement represents the first step in a fruitful collaboration with Mexico on space activities”, said Victor de la Vela, Airbus Head of Latin America and the Caribbean. “Being able to extract and process lunar resources is essential to maintain a long-term human presence on the Moon”. On the other hand, Dr. Salvador Landeros Ayala, Director-General of the AEM, pointed out that “a great objective of the Mexican Space Agency has been to promote the talent of our new generations”.
Under the direction of the AEM, the technologies of Dereum Labs -a Mexican start-up that seeks for non-space-related industries to take their businesses to the Moon, Mars, and the asteroid belt- will be key for the systems to take advantage of lunar resources. With these developments, it will be possible to maintain a permanent presence on the Moon and provide the resources needed for exploration beyond the Moon. If these technologies work, it could make it unnecessary to send resources from Earth, which incurs a very high cost.
“At Dereum Labs we are working towards developing an interplanetary economy,” said Carlos Mariscal, CEO of Dereum Labs. “Today Mexico is contributing to long-term human presence in space. For this we are ecstatic.”
