Voyager Technologies Inc. (NYSE:VOYG) CEO Dylan Taylor believes humans will eventually live and work in space, with the Moon likely serving as the next major step toward a broader space economy.
Taylor said a lunar base could be established in the early 2030s, with people living and working there and potentially commuting between Earth and the Moon, according to a report published by Fortune on Sunday.
Moon Could Be Next Step
"Humans will definitely be living and working in space," Taylor told Fortune.
"The next step would be the moon. That’ll happen in the 2030s, probably early 2030s," Taylor said. "We’ll have a moon base, people living and working on the moon. You’ll be able to look up at the moon and see lights on the moon."
Taylor said the International Space Station already provides a limited example of humans continuously working in space. The next challenge, he said, is expanding that activity beyond a small group of trained astronauts.
Potential jobs could include resource mining, orbital data centers and power-grid construction. Taylor said some of that work would still require humans rather than humanoid robots.
"You’re not going to be able to program Optimus to do everything on the moon," he said. "You’re going to have to have humans to figure it out."
Moon Before Mars
Taylor said Mars presents much bigger challenges because of its distance from Earth and greater radiation risks.
"Just because it’s so much further away. Radiation is so much more of a bigger problem," he said.
He sees the Moon as a more immediate destination, while Mars could eventually support a smaller human colony. Taylor said creating a full civilization on Mars would take much longer.
The infrastructure for that future is already taking shape. NASA has awarded nearly $1 billion in contracts to Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, Astrolab, Lunar Outpost and Firefly Aerospace Inc. (NASDAQ:FLY) to build and deliver early infrastructure for a permanent Moon base. The contracts include lunar vehicles designed to transport astronauts, move supplies and support remote operations.
SpaceX and Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk has also pointed toward broader access to the Moon. He said he wants lunar travel to become something "anyone" can do, rather than an experience limited to astronauts. SpaceX’s Starship architecture is designed to deliver up to 100 tons of cargo to the lunar surface, including habitats, rovers and equipment.
Lunar Economy Takes Shape
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has called the Moon a "proving ground" for humanity’s deep-space ambitions and said crews could spend extended periods there in the early 2030s while preparing for Mars.
NASA also plans near-monthly lunar missions in 2027 aimed at building an enduring lunar presence.
The planned lunar activity could eventually support a broader economy. Isaacman has said, "There will be a lunar economy someday," with future activity potentially including mining.
Voyager Builds Space Infrastructure
Taylor’s comments also come as Voyager works on infrastructure for longer-duration space missions.
Voyager’s NASA-related work includes testing life-support systems, crew operations and integrated systems needed for long-duration missions, including those on the lunar surface. The company is also involved in expandable habitat technology designed to support longer stays in space.
In April, Taylor said the infrastructure being built in low-Earth orbit today is the "launchpad for humanity’s future in deep space."
Voyager is building the replacement for the International Space Station and holds multiple NASA contracts. Taylor also flew to space on a 2021 Blue Origin mission, according to the report.
Taylor said Mars could eventually attract people willing to take the risk and pursue the adventure, but he does not expect it to become a large-scale human civilization anytime soon. "There’s enough people that would do that that you could start a small colony," he said. "But this whole notion that we can create an entire civilization, terraform ours, it’s going to take a long time to do that."
Photo courtesy: ChristianLphoto / Shutterstock.
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