The explosion of Elon Musk's Starship mega-rocket in April suggests commercial travel to the moon remains a distant prospect, but a Japanese university behind a new 'space agriculture centre' is more optimistic. Announcing a new research facility that aims to grow crops in space, Chiba University said it expects as many as 1,000 people will be living on the moon by the 2030s, the Mainichi newspaper reported. If such lunar outposts don't materialise, Chiba's focus on high-efficiency plant production won't be wasted, with scientists hoping their research will bring forward net zero farming here on planet Earth.

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/week-higher-education-8-june-2023

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