Business Case Study for the Cycler: A Circumlunar Vehicle for Development of Space Tourism and Lunar Infrastructure by 2030

Cislunar space tourism is still a futuristic concept. However, the thrill and innovation that it offers has the potential to attract the attention of High-Net-Worth Individuals. As a result, developing regular tourist-focused cislunar transportation could be an opportunity for space entrepreneurs. Moreover, once established, cyclic lunar transportation might be a factor that could improve lunar business and infrastructure such as those considered for Moon Village. Today, the commercial development of cislunar vehicles is limited by costs and long duration research and development programs, while, the commercial benefits of a reliable transportation system of crew, tools, materials, and supplies are not fully understood. Consequently, the authors present the commercial viability of a cislunar space tourism vehicle utilizing the cycler concept. This article presents a business case for such a cislunar transportation vehicle and a related portfolio of services that might be realized by 2030. The business case expands previous studies on the Cycler concept proposed by Bombardier, Farr, and Peraldi in 2016. The commercial viability of this cislunar vehicle offers the opportunity for international collaboration as well as the potential for providing access to spaceflights for the space emerging nations. The cislunar space tourism Cycler is envisaged as a modular vehicle that will orbit the Earth and the Moon on a free return trajectory in a 7-day crewed journey (based on a study by Genova and Aldrin). The modular structure provides comfortable to premium travel conditions for 8 paying customers and 3 crew members as well as transporting goods using a cargo unit and a dedicated module to conduct scientific experiments. The article proposes a vehicle architecture using available components with the current Technical Readiness Levels of 6 or higher. This approach identifies technology gaps that need to be addressed to develop cislunar tourism and transportation and demonstrates the limited number of nations that are currently involved in developing these components. Furthermore, the article introduces a risk assessment of the envisaged civil cislunar transportation system, a dedicated financial modeling tool together with potential approach for financing the system through International public-private partnerships.