If there is a measure of the difficulty of living and working on the Moon, it would be that the challenge is extreme, yet possibly achievable.

Human beings would be highly vulnerable on the Moon to solar winds and cosmic radiation. One of the first requirements would therefore be to build protective structures while simultaneously harnessing solar energy and locating sources of water, which may exist in the form of ice deep within permanently shadowed craters.

Protection from radiation, reliable energy, access to water and sustainable life-support systems would all have to come together before a viable lunar habitat could become a reality.

The journey into space has always been driven by the search for knowledge. What appears today to be "useless knowledge" often becomes the foundation of tomorrow's technological breakthroughs. Space exploration is another frontier where curiosity, science and human ingenuity converge.

It is difficult to predict how long it will take before we reach the technological stage where humans can inhabit the Moon for extended periods. Even SpaceX acknowledges this challenge and, in its published plans, recognises that many of the required technologies do not yet exist.

One possibility is to first send robots to construct much of the required infrastructure. Once the environment becomes safer and more sustainable, humans could then move in and continue development.

Data centres in space, however, appear to be a more achievable near-term objective. In many ways, they represent an extension of concepts already demonstrated by the International Space Station. They may become commercially viable much sooner than permanent human settlements.

Even here, significant engineering problems remain. Space-based data centres would avoid many of the environmental impacts associated with terrestrial facilities and would have access to abundant unfiltered solar energy. Yet cooling electronics in the vacuum of space remains a formidable technical challenge.

Mars: Ambition or Destination?

Mars presents an even greater challenge. Human beings would almost certainly require pressurised habitats and protective suits for routine activity. Food production would have to take place inside sealed biological environments, and the journey itself would take many months.

There has to be a compelling reason for undertaking such an endeavour.

Part of the answer lies in humanity's innate desire to explore. Exploration has always been one of our defining characteristics. Mars is not, however, an alternative to Earth. It is sometimes presented that way in popular imagination, but reality is very different.

Earth possesses a magnetic field, a life-supporting atmosphere, abundant water and extraordinary biodiversity. As far as we know, it remains the only planet in our solar system that supports life.

We may one day reach Mars and perhaps even discover microbial life. Settling there, however, belongs to a much more distant future.

Commercial ambition and scientific curiosity

President John F Kennedy challenged America to reach the Moon, and an entire nation united behind that scientific and technological goal. Mars, however, is increasingly being presented as a destination that may be reached through private enterprise.

This raises important questions. Where does science fit into this new model? And where does the idea of space as a global commons fit in? Will commercial incentives eventually overshadow the curiosity and imagination that have driven humanity's exploration of space for centuries?

The foundations of spacefaring technology were laid not by entrepreneurs pursuing quarterly profits but by dreamers—Aryabhata, Galileo, Kepler and countless others. They sought to understand celestial mechanics, planetary motion and ultimately the nature of the universe itself.

Today, as space increasingly becomes a commercial enterprise, one wonders whether scientific priorities will remain at the forefront or gradually yield to shareholder expectations.

Whether sufficient resources continue to be devoted to theoretical, experimental and observational science simply for the sake of knowledge remains an open question.

If we fail to appreciate the value of seemingly useless knowledge, we may never develop the technologies that one day make journeys to Mars possible.

Space Research and Medical Science

Ironically, one of the greatest benefits of space exploration may be the technologies that return to Earth.

Even if humanity never builds permanent settlements beyond our planet, the scientific knowledge generated by space exploration will continue to transform life on Earth.

The Aurelia Institute, a nonprofit research organisation dedicated to humanity's future in space, is developing concepts such as orbital biolabs—large research facilities designed specifically for microgravity science. Biological systems behave very differently in orbit. Space research could lead to breakthroughs in cancer treatment, Alzheimer's therapies, protein crystallisation and even advanced prosthetics such as artificial retinas.

Similarly, certain advanced manufacturing processes may ultimately prove more efficient in space than on Earth. Automated orbital factories could produce materials that are either impossible or prohibitively expensive to manufacture under terrestrial gravity.

These are precisely the kinds of technological frontiers that deserve encouragement.

The Economics of Space

Another remarkable development has been the dramatic reduction in launch costs.

With Starship, launch costs are expected to fall significantly, compared with approximately $1,500–2,000 per kilogram today and nearly $50,000 per kilogram during the Space Shuttle era.

Such reductions fundamentally change the economics of space.

Commercial destinations in orbit may emerge within the next decade. AI data centres may arrive even sooner. Although technically demanding, they offer two major advantages: shifting much of the associated heat generation away from Earth's biosphere while exploiting abundant solar energy available in space.

Value of Microgravity Research

Lower launch costs also enable scientific research on an entirely new scale.

The International Space Station has already demonstrated the enormous value of microgravity research. The next generation of space stations may greatly expand these opportunities, making large-scale scientific experimentation economically feasible for the first time.

Perhaps this will become one of the greatest legacies of commercial space flight—not tourism, but affordable science.

Expanding Human Circle of Awareness

Beyond technology lies something even more profound. Space exploration expands humanity's circle of awareness. The farther we venture into the cosmos, the more we come to appreciate that Earth is not merely our birthplace but perhaps the finest home we shall ever know.

The space programme has already inspired generations. More importantly, it has reminded us that this fragile blue marble, suspended in the vastness of space, is uniquely precious.

Perhaps that is the greatest value of all. In exploring the universe, we ultimately learn to understand and cherish our own world.

India’s Space Journey: Challenges of Privatisation

India has a highly progressive space programme built over more than five decades, and today it competes with some of the best in the world. This achievement has been driven primarily by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), an autonomous government-supported institution that has nurtured indigenous capability, scientific talent and a culture of innovation.

The recent opening of the space sector to private participation is a welcome step. It can bring new investment, innovation, competition and wider industrial capability.

However, it has also created a challenge: the pool of trained and experienced space scientists and engineers developed over decades within ISRO is limited. If this talent is rapidly dispersed without adequate replacement and knowledge-transfer mechanisms, it could affect ISRO’s core capabilities.

The nation must address this issue with foresight. The objective should not be to restrict the growth of private space enterprises, but to ensure that expansion of the sector strengthens, rather than weakens, the institution that created India’s space capability.

A balanced approach would require accelerated training of new talent, stronger academic-industry partnerships, mechanisms for knowledge retention, and identification of critical capabilities that must remain protected within ISRO.

A strong ISRO and a vibrant private space ecosystem should be complementary pillars of India’s space ambitions.

(The author is an Indian Army veteran and a contemporary affairs commentator. The views expressed are personal. He can be reached at  kl.viswanathan@gmail.com)