Irwin Prime – 10 km Far-Side Lunar Optical Communication Array (4.2°N, 168.7°W) – Site Reservation & Roadmap 2033–2050 Expanded Concept: Phase-1 + Parallel Commercial ISRU & Lunar Fuel Station

Irwin Prime – Site Reservation and Expanded ISRU Concept Reservation of the 10 km unnamed crater at 4.2°N, 168.7°W (far side, LROC 191.3°E) for the Irwin Prime scalable laser communication array (Earth–Moon–Mars relay, final aperture 3 km in Phase-1) with parallel commercial ISRU and first lunar D-He³ fuel station. Key features: Phase-0 (2033–2036): 30 m mast + 1.5–2 m module → 0.1–2 Gbps Phase-1 (2037–2040): 2–3 km central ring → 1–10 Gbps (1550 nm, 10 W, 200 dB losses) Phases 2–3 replaced by ISRU: priority local use (Ag for coatings, Al/Fe for structures, He-3 for fuel), excess export to Earth Full dust mitigation: mechanical net + EDS + underground tunnels Lunar fuel station: cryogenic He-3 storage (