According to SpaceNews, the Moon is shifting from a destination for scientific achievement to an emerging economic frontier. Nearly 60 years after Apollo 11, commercial companies like Firefly Aerospace are now operating in lunar orbit and landing on the surface — not as space exploration milestones, but as the early groundwork for what could become a new American industry. Lunar mining, manufacturing, and resource extraction represent the next chapter of space commerce, with potential implications for global economics and terrestrial industries.

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