The university is also seeking qualified students who want to pursue research through a PhD in collaborating departments.

 

"The proposed program will focus on developing core knowledge and gaining design practices in systems for responsible exploration, extraction, and use of resources in the Solar System," the university said.

 

It said it would be the first programme of its kind and would take the university's expertise on terrestrial resources and energy systems and apply it beyond our planet, also covering policy and legal aspects of the field.

 

The university was named the world's best for mining engineering for the second year in a row in the QS World University Rankings announced in March.

 

One of the students enrolled in a pilot course underway this semester, Hunter Williams, told Wired magazine that the novel "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" had inspired him to walk away from his teaching career and look into the possibilities of space mining.

 

Private companies including Hakuto and Moon Express are already working on plans for lunar mining.

 

The Space Resources programme is expected to be implemented in Fall 2018.