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The US government is set to make history once again in matters related to private access to riches in space by letting the first commercial mission go to the Moon.
The imminent decision would come on the heels of the Obama administration’s ground-breaking move last year to allow US citizens own resources mined beyond the Earth’s orbit.
It would also set precedents for how the US government would ensure that private ventures comply with international space treaties, The Wall Street Journal reported (subs. required), citing unnamed sources familiar with the details.
Moon Express, an until now little-known space start-up, plans to land a 20-pound (9kg) package of scientific gear, including a telescope, on the Moon sometime next year.
The US official endorsement of such mission would let Moon Express, a so far little-known space start-up co-founded by serial entrepreneur and philanthropist Naveen Jain, land a 20-pound (9kg) package of scientific gear, including a telescope, on the Moon sometime next year.
Moon Express believes there is a viable business flying commercial flights to the Earth’s only natural satellite and potentially mining its resources.
The firm is also hoping to snag the prize of up to $25 million by winning the Lunar X Prize, a competition set up by Google to encourage private companies to try to establish a viable business beyond Earth’s orbit.
Technical challenges
Moon Express began lobbying the federal government in April 2014 on commercial space flight and has since spent $140,000 targeting Congress and the president’s office, according to Senate lobbying disclosure forms. It has also increased expenditures in the past six months, investing $60,000 during that time.
The US, Russia and China government space programs have landed probes on the Moon, but so far no private company has ever launched a mission to space.
That means Moon Express would not only face legal hurdles (obtaining a formal launch license), but also technical challenges. That includes the fact that it hasn’t actually launched the rocket it intends to use.
The rocket and the MX-1 lander it plans to send to the Moon would also need approval for its proposed two-week operation.
The approval would pave the way for several other for-profit space ventures currently in the works. These include plans to mine asteroids, track space debris, build the first human settlement in Mars, and billionaire Elon Musk’s own plan for an unmanned mission to the red planet in 2018.
MoonExpress believes it’s critical for humanity to become a multi-world species and that the Moon should be considered an eighth continent holding vast resources than can help us enrich and secure our future. (Source: NASA Image of the Day)
5 Comments
John Wz
Sure it will be private. Wink, wink, nod, nod
Madbull
I hope Hollywood gets involved. There are some movies I would like made on the moon. How about a moon restaurant? How does the human body react to a medley of cheap hooch while in orbit or in a weaker gravitational field? Is the hangover better or shorter?
Moon Express
We appreciate the article. However you have mixed up two separate companies. Moon Express was founded in 2010 by Bob Richards (CEO), Naveen Jain and Barney Pell, and has raised over $30M in private funding. The venture you reference in the “Jain has assembled…” paragraph is a separate independent company called ‘Blue Dot’ that Naveen Jain co-founded in 2015.
Hey You
The US government has said, “go ahead”?! Why? Does the US government own the moon?
Vernon Cole
If it is a private venture then,it is none of the goverments business. They shouldn’t need a permit.