Recently NASA announced that soon we’ll be going back to the moon to build a new space station called Gateway to orbit the moon, from which we can launch missions down to the surface to collect resources and then explore deeper into the galaxy, building more space stations and bases as we go. The following video is NASA’s announcement.
I find this to be a very interesting concept. NASA seems committed to the idea of creating a mode of building and exploring that can be replicated every time we build a new base, so that we can continue to build new bases and gather more resources from moons and planets and launch expeditions deeper and deeper into space.
As for the commercial aspect, first they need to figure out a way to get from Earth to the moon without it costing millions of dollars, so that it could be reasonable for regular people to afford a trip. Then they would need to figure out a new type of engine and propulsion system so we could get there quickly. And then they would need to figure out a way to make it comfortable.
If NASA or businesses were able to figure out a way to do all of that, it could create a moon tourism industry including more moon bases and tourist shops and other types of business.