Lunar Infrastructure an Emerging Business Opportunity

Q: Why should companies look to space as a potential new market?

A: There are multiple efforts to take humans back to the moon but this time to establish a permanent human presence there. In the future, many will live on the moon and they will require services, food, energy and entertainment, among many other things. This will create a large market to fulfill these needs. 

Dereum Labs believes that any industry can provide services in space but first it needs to transform its technology and products. All service companies should look into space because there are great opportunities for business there. 

Q: What is Dereum Labs’ role in helping companies understand this potential and guiding them through the process of grasping this opportunity?

A: Dereum Labs sees itself as the bridge between Earth and space, taking the business from one to the other. We know that to achieve this vision, we need to do many things, such as provide consultancy and infrastructure services. We are an integrator of the industry and a last-mile service company for space. 

Q: What benefits are you gaining from your partnership with Airbus Defense and Space and the Mexican  Space Agency? 

A: This is our most important partnership because it will allow us to create technology together. Airbus has the technology to process lunar regolith and transform it into oxygen and metals, while Dereum Labs has the planetary mobility technology. We are joining forces to create joint services in space with these technologies. In addition, we are also looking for more partners to join this venture. 

We recently signed a letter of intent with the government of Guerrero and the Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Hidalgo, which will join the project and benefit from this technology. 

Q: How has the company’s Space Business Strategy program advanced in Mexico and how will the company apply it in other countries? 

A: We are trying to educate the market because, for instance, most automotive or transportation companies in Mexico and Latin America do not see space as convenient in the short term. We are trying to educate the market on the importance of space, which could bring them business in both the long and short term. 

Our Space Business Strategy is a tool to help companies better understand the business opportunities that space can offer. We are trying to position this service but are facing some challenges because companies are still reluctant when it comes to space. We are drawing interest from different industries but it will take  a couple of months to position this service in the market and create enough interest to make it profitable. 

Q: What opportunities does Dereum Labs see for the development of moon technology in Mexico? 

A: Mexico has a good opportunity to develop this technology but the country needs a clear, well-defined national policy to do so. It also needs to analyze its strengths, which could be robotics or services, for example. Once the country defines that goal, it will have better direction. More importantly, Mexico does have the talent to develop space technology. 

Q: What possibilities does Dereum Labs see in space mining? 

A: Space mining is a midterm objective that may be possible in the next 10-15 years. Companies are evaluating the expertise of mining experts to explore how to take these capabilities to space after transforming the technology. There is a large market for them. For example, the moon has water, silicon, titanium, and aluminum, among other minerals used by many industries. Mining companies will be among those that benefit the most from space.  

Q: What are the company’s goals and objectives for the next 10 years?

A: In 2024 or 2025, we plan to send our first mission to the moon. In the next 10 years, we plan to send at least three more missions to the moon to start building lunar infrastructure. This will allow us to provide more complex space services to companies on the moon in 20 years. 

The Space Business Strategy is now educating the market and helping it to identify these business opportunities. When they are ready to send something to the moon, we will already have the infrastructure necessary. Our current challenge is to have the infrastructure to provide data to our customers so they can validate doing business on the moon.

Dereum Labs supports industries beyond Earth by facilitating access to space data through services and space robotics infrastructure. Dereum Labs provides the knowledge and technology necessary to transform any industry into a space industry.