Editorial: The Guardian

• Humanity's return to the moon, slated for 2024, has undergone several setbacks.
• Peregrine, a lunar robot failed its mission due to critical propellant loss, and Nasa has postponed its Artemis II mission by a year.
• Doubts are being cast on the present-day space engineers' ability and will to return to the moon.
• Unlike during the Apollo missions, Nasa is turning more to the private sector, expecting it to shoulder most of the risks and reap the rewards.
• It's expected that firms will quickly amass the know-how to successfully carry out future space missions.
• The commercial exploitation of the moon could destroy valuable scientific research sites.
• There's a crucial need to strengthen international treaties that govern the exploitation of extraterrestrial resources to protect unique sites on the moon.

Conclusion: Despite recent setbacks, the lunar exploitation program will proceed, and great care will be required in regulating how it proceeds over the coming decade, to protect valuable scientific resources.

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