DARPA wants to build a 'thriving commercial economy' on the moon in 10 years

Where best to set up Artemis Base Camp? Researchers are homing in on sites that feature long-duration access to sunlight, direct-to-Earth communication and gentle slopes and also offer access to permanently shadowed regions that may contain water ice.

DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) is seeking rapid develop of technologies to support the foundation for an integrated lunar infrastructure. 

The 10-Year Lunar Architecture (LunA-10) capability study will attempt to unite what the agency sees as isolated efforts within the scientific community in order to produce a diverse technological framework to facilitate activities in space around and on the surface of the moon in the coming decades. The DARPA study is scheduled to last seven months, and will include lunar service providers and users, according to a statement on the agency's website published Aug. 15.