I skimmed https://medium.com/function-core/cislunar-economy-101-part-7...

It enthuses that colonization should be the end goal because it will drive funding. I remain unconvinced that there are actually enough incredibly wealthy people that want to go die in space to drive a vast economy.

Skim the first 6 parts too; they deal more with what is now than what might be in the far future.

There's enough interest, demand and money in current space activities to justify a small cislunar economy; after that happens, well, hard to predict, but I think you're underestimating the amount of people with ideas about what to do in the Solar System.

The cost of colonies becomes small(er) with the incredible resources available in space. It wasn't the incredibly wealthy that colonized the New World.

I'm pretty sure some crowns with a lot of jewels were deeply invested in the process.