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To add upon your comment, the moon could also act as an interplanetary shipyard. With the low gravity and stablity, as well as proximity to earth for raw materials and man power. Assuming it isn't completely automated.

Iirc, Isaac Arthur (I know him as a sci-fi YouTuber) has done numerous videos on how we could become an interplanetary/interstellar species. One of those videos covered the use of the moon to those ends.

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I thought the moon had been ruled out due to lack of resources to compensate for the gravity well.

The amount of fuel it takes to get to Mars and the Moon is almost the same but the Moon has a bunch of aluminum and oxygen relatively easily obtainable. These two things can react energetically and be used in a hybrid rocket which could be used to shuttle stuff from the Moon to Earth. The stuff exists we just have to use it.

Sounds like the exports would be transportation related. Wonder if solar or nuclear would be more viable.

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