Editing Space colonization (section)

===Near-Earth space===
====Earth orbit====
[[File:Debris-GEO1280.jpg|thumb|alt=Earth from space, surrounded by small white dots|A computer-generated image from 2005 showing the distribution of mostly space debris in [[geocentric orbit]] with two areas of concentration: geostationary orbit and low Earth orbit.]]

[[Geostationary orbit]] was an early issue of discussion about space colonization, with equatorial countries argueing for special rights to the orbit (see [[Bogota Declaration]]).<ref name="Durrani 2019"/>

[[Space debris]], particularly in low Earth orbit, has been characterized as a product of colonization by occupying space and hindering access to space through excessive pollution with debris, with drastic increases in the course of military activity and without a lack of management.<ref name="Durrani 2019"/>

[[File:Axiom modules connected to ISS.jpg|thumb|Through the [[Commercial LEO Destinations program]], the [[Axiom Station]] can gradually establish commercial uses and become economically sustainable.]]

Most of the [[Delta-v budget|delta-''v'' budget]], and thus propellant, of a launch is used bringing a spacecraft to low Earth orbit.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Wanjek |first=Christopher |title=Spacefarers: how humans will settle the Moon, Mars, and beyond |date=2020 |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=978-0-674-98448-6 |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts}}</ref>{{Rp|page=100}} This is the main reason why [[Jerry Pournelle]] said "If you can get your ship into orbit, you're halfway to anywhere".<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Pournelle |first=Jerry P. |date=April 1974 |title=A Step Farther Out, Halfway to Anywhere |url=https://archive.org/details/Galaxy_v34n07_1974-04/page/n95/mode/2up |magazine=[[Galaxy Magazine]] |pages=94}}</ref> Therefore, the main advantages to constructing a [[space settlement]] in Earth orbit are accessibility to the Earth and already-existing economic motives such as [[space hotels]] and [[space manufacturing]]. However, a big disadvantage is that orbit does not host any materials that is available for exploitation. Space colonization altogether might eventually demand lifting vast amounts of payload into orbit, making thousands of daily launches potentially unsustainable. Various theoretical concepts, such as [[orbital ring]]s and [[Skyhook (structure)|skyhooks]], have been proposed to reduce the cost of accessing space.<ref name=":3" />{{Rp|page=|pages=142–147}}

==== Moon ====
{{Main|Colonization of the Moon}}

[[File:Lunar base concept drawing s99 04195.jpg|thumb|Artist's rendering of an envisioned [[Lunar resources#Mining|lunar mining facility]]]]

The [[Moon]] is discussed as a target for colonization, due to its proximity to Earth and lower [[escape velocity]]. The Moon is reachable from Earth in three days, has a near-instant communication to Earth, with minable minerals, no atmosphere, and low gravity, making it extremely easy to ship materials and products to orbit.<ref name=":3" />{{Rp|page=|pages=175}} Abundant [[ice]] is trapped in [[permanently shadowed crater]]s near the poles, which could provide support for the water needs of a lunar colony,<ref>{{cite news | url =http://www.hindu.com/2009/09/23/stories/2009092357770100.htm | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20090926073133/http://www.hindu.com/2009/09/23/stories/2009092357770100.htm | url-status =dead | archive-date =26 September 2009 | title =Water discovered on Moon?: "A lot of it actually" | date =23 September 2009 | newspaper =[[The Hindu]] | access-date =26 September 2009 |first=Divya |last=Gandhi }}</ref> though indications that [[mercury (element)|mercury]] is also similarly trapped there may pose health concerns.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Reed Jr. |first1=George W. |date=1999 |title=Don't drink the water |url= |journal=Meteoritics & Planetary Science |volume=34 |issue= 5|pages=809–811 |doi=10.1111/j.1945-5100.1999.tb01394.x |bibcode=1999M&PS...34..809R |s2cid=129733422 |access-date=|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name=prospecting>{{cite journal |last1=Platts |first1=Warren J. |last2=Boucher |first2=Dale |last3=Gladstone |first3=G. Randall |date=12 December 2013 |title=Prospecting for Native Metals in Lunar Polar Craters |url= |journal=7th Symposium on Space Resource Utilization |volume= |issue= |pages= |doi=10.2514/6.2014-0338 |isbn=978-1-62410-315-5 |access-date=}}</ref> Native [[precious metal]]s, such as [[gold]], [[silver]], and probably [[platinum]], are also concentrated at the lunar poles by electrostatic dust transport.<ref name=prospecting/> There are only a few materials on the Moon which have been identified to make economic sense to ship directly back to the Earth, which are [[helium-3]] (for [[fusion power]]) and rare-earth minerals (for [[electronics]]). Instead, it makes more sense for these materials to be used in-space or being turned into valuable products for export. However, the Moon's lack of atmosphere provides no protection from space radiation or meteoroids, so [[lunar lava tube]]s have been proposed sites to gain protection.<ref>{{cite news|title=Moon hole might be suitable for colony|url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/space/01/01/moon.lava.hole/ | work=CNN | date=1 January 2010}}</ref> The Moon's low surface gravity is also a concern, as it is unknown whether 1/6[[g-force|g]] is enough to maintain human health for long periods.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Taylor|first=R. L.|date=March 1993|title=The effects of prolonged weightlessness and reduced gravity environments on human survival.|journal=Journal of the British Interplanetary Society|volume=46|issue=3|pages=97–106|pmid=11539500}}</ref>

Since the Moon has extreme temperature swings and toxic [[lunar regolith]], it is argued by some that the Moon will not become a place of habitation, but instead attract polluting [[Primary sector of the economy|extraction]] and [[Secondary sector of the economy|manufacturing industries]]. Furthermore, it has been argued that moving these industries to the Moon could help protect the Earth's environment and allow poorer countries to be released from the shackles of [[neocolonialism]] by wealthier countries. In the space colonization framework, the Moon will be transformed into an industrial hub of the Solar System.<ref name=":3" />{{Rp|page=|pages=161–172}}

Interest in establishing a [[moonbase]] has increased in the 21st century as an intermediate to Mars colonization.

The [[European Space Agency]] (ESA) head [[Johann-Dietrich Wörner|Jan Woerner]] at the International Astronautical Congress in Bremen, Germany, in October, 2018 proposed cooperation among countries and companies on lunar capabilities, a concept referred to as ''[[Moonbase#Moon Village|Moon Village]]''.<ref name=sn20180529>
{{cite news |last=Foust|first=Jeff |url=https://spacenews.com/bezos-outlines-vision-of-blue-origins-lunar-future/ |title=Bezos outlines vision of Blue Origin's lunar future |work=[[SpaceNews]] |date=29 May 2018 |access-date=21 August 2018 }}</ref>

In a December 2017 [[Space Policy Directive 1|directive]], the [[First presidency of Donald Trump|first Trump administration]] steered [[NASA]] to include a lunar mission on the pathway to other [[beyond Earth orbit]] (BEO) destinations.<ref name=spo20171217>{{cite web|url=https://spacepolicyonline.com/news/text-of-remarks-at-signing-of-trump-space-policy-directive-1-and-list-of-attendees/ |title=Text of Remarks at Signing of Trump Space Policy Directive 1 and List of Attendees |first=Marcia |last=Smith |website=Space Policy Online |date=11 December 2017 |access-date=21 August 2018}}</ref><ref name=sn20180529/>

In 2023, the U.S. Defense Department started a [[DARPA lunar programs|study]] of the necessary infrastructure and capabilities required to develop a moon-based economy over the following ten years.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Easley |first=Mikayla |date=5 December 2023 |title=DARPA taps 14 companies to study infrastructure needs for future lunar economy |url=https://defensescoop.com/2023/12/05/luna-10-darpa-award/ |access-date=22 March 2024 |website=defensescoop.com}}</ref>

As of 2024, on one side, [[China]], along with other partner countries, has announced its intention to establish the [[International Lunar Research Station]]. On the other side, the [[United States]], in collaboration with international partners, is advancing its [[Artemis program]], which includes plans to build [[Moonbase]]s near the lunar poles, close to [[permanently shadowed crater]]s, in the 2030s. The [[Chinese Lunar Exploration Program]] is seen as a means to bolster China's political influence and support its aspirations for [[superpower]] status, while the United States aims to maintain its position as the leading space power.

====Lagrange points====
{{Main|Lagrange point colonization}}
[[File:Lagrange points Earth vs Moon.jpg|thumb|A contour plot of the [[gravitational potential]] of the Moon and Earth, showing the five Earth–Moon Lagrange points]]

Another near-Earth possibility are the stable Earth–Moon [[Lagrangian point|Lagrange points]] {{L4}} and {{L5}}, at which point a space colony can float indefinitely. The [[L5 Society]] was founded to promote settlement by building space stations at these points. [[Gerard K. O'Neill]] suggested in 1974 that the stable region around L<sub>5</sub> could fit several thousand floating colonies, and would allow easy travel to and from the colonies due to the shallow [[effective potential]] at this point.<ref name="o'neill">{{cite journal |last1=O'Neill |first1=Gerard K. |author1-link=Gerard K. O'Neill |title=The colonization of space |journal=Physics Today |date=September 1974 |volume=27 |issue=9 |pages=32–40 |doi=10.1063/1.3128863 |bibcode=1974PhT....27i..32O |doi-access=free }}</ref>