Laser-Based Technologies in Space Exploration: How Advanced Spectroscopy is Powering Planetary Discovery, Lunar Resource Prospecting, and the Future Space Economy

Introduction As humanity enters a new era of sustained lunar exploration, Mars sample return, commercial space development, and future missions to the outer Solar System, understanding the composition of planetary surfaces has become a strategic capability rather than merely a scientific objective. Every future mission—whether searching for signs of ancient life, identifying water ice, locating…