Regolith Sweeper

Mining in space will have to start off on a very small scale, automation will play a fundamental role in making this happen. First thing with any mining operation will be the location, using geological surveys to find rich deposits of useful commodities like Iron, Titanium, Anorthite, Silicon dioxide, Chromium, Manganese, Calcium and Sodium oxides, Sulfur, Hydrogen and Oxygen. The Moon Regolith is rich in all these materials and thanks to billions of years of micrometeorites is ground to a fine powder.

A rover will be used to collect the Regolith and transport it back to a processing facility to separate the material into its base assets. The basic design of the rover will allow easy and remote repair operations. The regolith materials can then be processed and used. The mining systems will need to start out small and be operated remotely then be built up over time as demand increases. Fuel will also be created for the rockets return to an orbital platform.

A series of solar powered satellites will orbit the moon and beam microwave energy down onto a receiver to generate electricity and provide a constant power supply. The end result of mining on the Moon will be to provide enough construction material to launch into orbit and build space habitats.