Before We Mine the Moon, We Need to Know What Is There

Professor Clive Neal, one of the world’s leading lunar scientists, joins Lisa Burke for the first episode of The Space Economy, filmed at Space Resources Week 2026 in Luxembourg. Clive has spent almost 40 years studying the Moon. He is Professor of Planetary Geology at the University of Notre Dame and the recipient of NASA’s 2026 Eugene Shoemaker Distinguished Scientist Medal. In this conversation, Lisa and Clive examine: • The difference between a lunar resource and a proven reserve • Why the Moon must be prospected before mining can begin • Water ice at the lunar south pole • The future of NASA’s VIPER rover • Where a permanent Moon base might be built • Whether anybody can own territory on the Moon • The case for a distributed lunar base • International cooperation, China, NASA and the Outer Space Treaty • Why Europe is leading work on space-resource utilisation • The economic and technological benefits space exploration can bring back to Earth • How students from many different disciplines can enter the space sector Clive’s central message: the Moon economy must be built on evidence, cooperation and a commitment to making life better on Earth. Watch to the end to hear how the son of a factory worker became one of the world’s most influential voices in lunar exploration, and helped inspire the next generation of NASA scientists. This independently produced pilot is the first conversation in: THE SPACE ECONOMY WITH LISA BURKE The people, technologies and decisions building the economy beyond Earth. ▶ Read the full article: https://www.lisatoniburke.com/blog ▶ Learn more about Lisa Burke: https://www.lisatoniburke.com/ ▶ Professor Clive Neal: https://engineering.nd.edu/faculty/cl... Filmed at Space Resources Week 2026 in Luxembourg. Presented and produced by Lisa Burke and Lisa Toni Burke SARL-s. #SpaceEconomy #Moon #LunarResources #ESRIC #EuropeanSpaceAgency #ESA #NASA #JAXA