2
of Shackleton crater, and many of its relevant features
(Figure 2).
Designated landing location
Among the different candidates available for landing and
starting the first exploration works, the selected point is
in the Southeast side of Shackleton Crater, in coordinates:
Lat: 89.12, Long: 103,06, in a rather flat area surrounded
by small craters, expected to be rich in water.
The mining site and therefore the habitat site, are
planned to be 4 km away, parallel to Shackleton Crater’s
rim. Figure 3 shows a production area section with the lay-
out and infrastructure distribution.
Resources on the Moon
As the Moon becomes a target for developing mining oper-
ations, classification of potential mineral resources is being
developed. Among the ever-abundant regolith, a resource
usable for construction materials among other things,
there is a range of valuable resources such as metals includ-
ing Rare Earth Elements that can be extracted (Figure 4).
Another among these extractable resources is water, which
opens vast possibilities for obtaining oxygen, essential for
Figure 3. Moon Landing and Mining Site, 4 km long, 2 km
wide, with contours every 0.5 meters (source: QGIS)
sustaining life, as well as hydrogen which can be used for
fuel and other industrial applications.
The management of a mine on the Moon must follow
a process that involves the optimal use of all the resources
available in the organization (human, physical, techno-
logical, and financial), given the harsh living conditions
(exposure to radiation, drastic temperature change from
daylight to night darkness, low gravity, dust, limited sup-
plies, and restricted habitat premises.) So that through a
newly designed planning, organization, direction, and con-
trol, the set of objectives can be achieved.
A New Type of Mine Planning
Planning is the first function to be executed. Although
much of it can be done in advance on the Earth, once the
equipment is deployed, assembled, and tested on the Lunar
surface, pioneering operations will start. The production
goals and work cycle must be defined based on the capa-
bility of humans to stand in the vacuum, and the perfor-
mance of teleoperated or autonomous equipment. These
production objectives, the topographic progression, and
the production rates become the essence of these plans. The
last phase of the management process is the control func-
tion. Its immediate purpose is to measure, qualitatively and
quantitatively, the execution in relation to the action pat-
terns and, because of this comparison, determine whether
it is necessary to take corrective actions. Being on the Moon
requires fast responses at the site. The adequate planning
and control in a mining operation is given by the way it is
designed and how the operational processes are measured
and managed. The advancement of technology
with the use of communications and control systems
almost in real time allows the management of operations
in a more optimal way, thus reducing delays when a critical
decision needs to be made.
Although there are different ways to plan and control a
mining operation, one that may be effective on the Moon is
by monitoring in Real- Time the most critical processes. The
short historical data may give limited feedback and many of
the actions to take are the result of intensive performance
analysis of unmanned vehicles. New Key Performance
Indicators will need to be developed, all encompassed in a
comprehensive system denominated Luna Mine Planning
(Tenorio et al., 2020). A Python-based prototype interface
has been designed with the essential functions including
digital map updates, and collections of measured data that
are used for evaluating the performance of an operation.
They are the tools utilized by management to evaluate the
performance of a activity. Reports generated compare in
Real-Time the actual and estimated efficiency, efficacy, and
Figure 2. Enhanced view of Shackleton Crater and candidate
areas for landing and mining (source: Moon Trek)
of Shackleton crater, and many of its relevant features
(Figure 2).
Designated landing location
Among the different candidates available for landing and
starting the first exploration works, the selected point is
in the Southeast side of Shackleton Crater, in coordinates:
Lat: 89.12, Long: 103,06, in a rather flat area surrounded
by small craters, expected to be rich in water.
The mining site and therefore the habitat site, are
planned to be 4 km away, parallel to Shackleton Crater’s
rim. Figure 3 shows a production area section with the lay-
out and infrastructure distribution.
Resources on the Moon
As the Moon becomes a target for developing mining oper-
ations, classification of potential mineral resources is being
developed. Among the ever-abundant regolith, a resource
usable for construction materials among other things,
there is a range of valuable resources such as metals includ-
ing Rare Earth Elements that can be extracted (Figure 4).
Another among these extractable resources is water, which
opens vast possibilities for obtaining oxygen, essential for
Figure 3. Moon Landing and Mining Site, 4 km long, 2 km
wide, with contours every 0.5 meters (source: QGIS)
sustaining life, as well as hydrogen which can be used for
fuel and other industrial applications.
The management of a mine on the Moon must follow
a process that involves the optimal use of all the resources
available in the organization (human, physical, techno-
logical, and financial), given the harsh living conditions
(exposure to radiation, drastic temperature change from
daylight to night darkness, low gravity, dust, limited sup-
plies, and restricted habitat premises.) So that through a
newly designed planning, organization, direction, and con-
trol, the set of objectives can be achieved.
A New Type of Mine Planning
Planning is the first function to be executed. Although
much of it can be done in advance on the Earth, once the
equipment is deployed, assembled, and tested on the Lunar
surface, pioneering operations will start. The production
goals and work cycle must be defined based on the capa-
bility of humans to stand in the vacuum, and the perfor-
mance of teleoperated or autonomous equipment. These
production objectives, the topographic progression, and
the production rates become the essence of these plans. The
last phase of the management process is the control func-
tion. Its immediate purpose is to measure, qualitatively and
quantitatively, the execution in relation to the action pat-
terns and, because of this comparison, determine whether
it is necessary to take corrective actions. Being on the Moon
requires fast responses at the site. The adequate planning
and control in a mining operation is given by the way it is
designed and how the operational processes are measured
and managed. The advancement of technology
with the use of communications and control systems
almost in real time allows the management of operations
in a more optimal way, thus reducing delays when a critical
decision needs to be made.
Although there are different ways to plan and control a
mining operation, one that may be effective on the Moon is
by monitoring in Real- Time the most critical processes. The
short historical data may give limited feedback and many of
the actions to take are the result of intensive performance
analysis of unmanned vehicles. New Key Performance
Indicators will need to be developed, all encompassed in a
comprehensive system denominated Luna Mine Planning
(Tenorio et al., 2020). A Python-based prototype interface
has been designed with the essential functions including
digital map updates, and collections of measured data that
are used for evaluating the performance of an operation.
They are the tools utilized by management to evaluate the
performance of a activity. Reports generated compare in
Real-Time the actual and estimated efficiency, efficacy, and
Figure 2. Enhanced view of Shackleton Crater and candidate
areas for landing and mining (source: Moon Trek)