Moon Express is just one of the companies vying to win Google’s Lunar X-PRIZE, which has $30 million up for grabs ($20 million grand prize, $5 million second place, and $5 bonus prize) for companies that manage to put a functional robot on the Moon and send back HD video.
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Moon Express first submitted its request to pursue the lunar mission in April.
When asked about the permissions the co-founder said as no private firm had traveled beyond Earth’s orbit and space.He explained that representatives from many federal agencies worked together to determine that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which gives launch licenses to rocket companies, should be the official point of contact for such ventures.
Moon Express has made history as the first private enterprise to get USA government permission for traveling to and landing on the moon.
The discovery of water on the moon was described by Richards as an “economic game changer”, turning the Moon into a “gas station in the sky”.
This is the first time the government has granted regulatory approval for a private space mission beyond Earth orbit.
Ultimately, colonizing space and making mankind a multi-planetary species is seen as an essential step to ensure humanity’s long-term survival.
Moon Express had to wait for over a year to get approval for its 2017 moon landing.
Richards said the first flight has five customers, including a company that is selling the opportunity to take people’s ashes to the moon.
Other private companies are expected to follow Moon Express and seek permission to fly to the Moon.
It looks like private space is taking a giant leap for mankind.
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According to the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, the U.S. bears global responsibility for any space flights performed from its territory by national non-government entities. “We want to win it”, Moon Express CEO Bob Richards told The Verge. The spacecraft is part of the company’s mission to “reduce the cost of space exploration”, according to its website. Among other things, the treaty states that missions to the moon and other celestial bodies must be peaceful.
