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Explore news and perspectives on the Moon and lunar industry. Our blog publishes announcements and news, research, and expert views.
Moonlit Talk Webinar — When is the Moon ‘for everyone'?
Watch this recording of a recent webinar, where we explored a simple but important question: when is the Moon truly for everyone? The discussion brought together perspectives from governance, technology, culture, and community leadership to examine who shapes lunar futures and what more inclusive stewardship could look like.
Unpacking the Artemis Program and Changes with Director Will Pomerantz
At NASA's Ignition event in March 2026, Administrator Jared Isaacman outlined a major shift in the Artemis program. Open Lunar board member Will Pomerantz breaks down what changed, what it means, and what to watch next.
Regulation Without Appropriation: Building Coordination Infrastructure for the Moon
This piece makes the case for Designated Lunar Areas: not as claims, but as coordination infrastructure, drawing on surprising parallels from FCC radio-silent zones to Antarctic governance. The stakes couldn't be higher, and the window to get this right is closing fast.
Artemis II and a Return to the Moon We Share
Artemis II marks more than a technical achievement. It is a reminder that humanity’s return to the Moon should reflect our highest aspirations, including collaboration, transparency, and a shared commitment to the future we build there.
Lunar Takes #1: How can countries and companies better coordinate Moon missions for mutual benefit? Experts weigh in.
As lunar missions multiply and converge on the same scarce, high-value sites, the absence of basic coordination frameworks isn't just a bureaucratic gap — it's a recipe for real conflict. Three international experts break down why information-sharing remains so hard, and what a practical path forward might look like.
Open Lunar Foundation and COSPAR Sign MOU on the Lunar Ledger and Information Sharing to Advance Lunar Coordination
The Open Lunar Foundation and the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR), announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on March 20, 2026, at the Earth-Space Governance Conference in Leiden, Netherlands.
Inside COPUOS: How the United Nations Is Shaping Lunar Governance
In this post, we explore Open Lunar’s role as a Permanent Observer to COPUOS. We speak with Hasan Abbas about how the forum functions in practice and how today’s debates are shaping the future of lunar governance.
We can build cities on the Moon—but who will govern them?
Amid a global lunar rush, will we land peaceful norms alongside our spacecraft?
Open Lunar’s Origin Story
Open Lunar is a nonprofit founded by a global community—some of the field’s most experienced and visionary minds. Open Lunar is dedicated to ensuring that when humanity returns to the Moon, we do so in a way we can be proud of.
Introducing Samuel Jardine, Open Lunar’s new Senior Policy Lead
Open Lunar Foundation is excited to welcome Samuel Jardine to the core team. Read a welcome note from Sam and learn more about his background and position.
Join the Open Lunar Team as Development Director
Read more about our recent Development Director posting and what our team is looking for.
Achievements and shortfalls in global lunar exploration in 2025
Here’s a comprehensive, curated, and contextualized linked list of lunar technology and science developments across 2025, organized by country or region. There is also a section on progressive cooperative & collaborative international efforts—because these are the gems we need more of—as well as a section discussing shortcomings in the same. If someone asks you what’s happening at the Moon, say all of this is.
Hong Kong engages international planetary scientists with a lunar samples symposium
A volcano of new results which have improved our understanding of our cosmic companion.
Keeping time at the Moon
A new approach to lunar timekeeping—built from affordable commercial hardware, redundant clock networks, and shared open infrastructure.
Fellowship Research Showcase: Designated Lunar Areas
Every year, we work to collate our recent insights and share it publicly through our fellowship research showcase events. This event celebrates the launch of the Lunar Areas Field Guide by Christine Tiballi.
A giant leap in orbital imagery is what we need to realize advanced Moon missions
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has long been the foundation of lunar exploration, but its aging systems leave a growing data gap for future missions. Despite scientific calls for a successor, NASA hasn’t approved one, leaving newer international and commercial orbiters to fill the void. There is an urge for coordinated global efforts to share data and create a network of orbiters to better support upcoming Moon missions.
Cooperation Beyond Earth: Open Lunar at IAC Sydney 2025
Open Lunar joined the global space community in Sydney for the 76th International Astronautical Congress (IAC), sharing new milestones in lunar cooperation. From launching the Lunar Ledger to hosting a high-intensity governance simulation and advancing environmental monitoring with Honeybee Robotics, we helped shape conversations on how humanity can govern the Moon responsibly and collaboratively.
Lunar Ledger Launches with Industry Partners to Advance Transparency on the Moon
The Open Lunar Foundation has launched the Lunar Ledger, the world’s first open-access database of lunar missions and surface activities. Announced at the International Astronautical Congress in Sydney, the launch marked the signing of new cooperation agreements with founding commercial partners Firefly Aerospace, ispace, and Astrolab. Together, these early adopters have committed to sharing mission data through the Ledger — a major step toward transparency, coordination, and responsible lunar operations as activity on and around the Moon accelerates.
The case for India and China to exchange lunar samples from Chang’e and Chandrayaan
India’s upcoming Chandrayaan-4 mission aims to return lunar samples from the Moon’s south pole, positioning the country to join the global community of sample-return missions led recently by China’s Chang’e program. The article discusses how scientists could actively engage in studying Chang’e samples now, both to gain scientific benefits and to prepare for international collaboration and potential sample exchanges once Chandrayaan-4 succeeds.
We’re building future technologies for the Moon without closing missed milestones
A review of upcoming and past lunar missions of this decade shows a wide gap between notions of technological progress versus achieved reality.