Use of lunar resources for solar system exploration and exploitation in the 21st century

The paper discusses possible uses of the Moon for solar system exploration and exploitation. It provides an analysis of lunar resources. It reviews technological trends which provide a powerful boost to the development of new-generation space hardware, systems to support human life beyond Earth, and extraterrestrial application of smart robotic systems, processing and production systems. The existence of various points of view on the problems of lunar exploration with establishing on it a manned base does not make any less obvious the fact that this natural satellite of Earth, by dint of the logic of scientific and technological progress, is gradually being turned into one of the actual objects of the Earth civilization’s infrastructure. Building up lunar infrastructure as a component of the overall strategy of Solar system exploration, will make it possible to expand our knowledge in the field of fundamental cosmological problems, as well as mankind’s ability to study planetary systems in the Universe.