Metals

Lunar soil is abundant with metals, especially iron and aluminum, but it's a low-grade ore. We'll need to do quite a bit of processing on the lunar regolith to extract pure metals. Fortunately, in the process, we also derive a wealth of trace elements and volatiles that the lunar community will need. There may be veins of high-grade ore beneath the surface, but that is something we really can't know until we get there and start digging.

In this section of the Artemis Data Book, we examine the metals industry of the moon: what the lunar community needs, what it can produce, and the possbilities for the moon to become a key exporter of metals throughout the Solar System.