Leveraging Digital Twins to Support a Sustained Human Presence on the Lunar Surface

Having a sustained human presence on the lunar surface is a central objective of the Artemis Program, as it represents a key pre-requisite in resource mining operations on the Moon as well as an important steppingstone for future Martian exploration and colonization. Despite its importance, this endeavor has little precedent to rely on to inform the many challenges it needs to address. Digital Twin, in recent years, has been employed in a wide range of applications. In this paper, we explore its usefulness in establishing the Artemis Base Camp. Digital twins can be applied to various stages of the lifecycle of the lunar base development. We also identify several open questions that need be addressed before the digital twin can be utilized effectively in this project. In fact, addressing these questions could facilitate deploying digital twins in use cases in a wider spectrum of industries and sectors.