Speaking at the Space Technology & Investment Summit in San Francisco, Richards said that the company is aiming for a full service capability and they will be inspired to go for collect sample and return to Earth by their third mission if their landing is a success in the first attempt.
Advertisement
The company says it has signed a contract with Rocket Lab to launch three Moon Express robotic spacecraft to land on the Moon starting in 2017.
Chief executive and major shareholder Peter Beck always plays his cards close to his chest, and is not putting a value on the Moon Express deal.
Under the contract, Rocket Lab will use its Electron rocket system to launch three missions by Moon Express’ MX-1 lunar lander spacecraft.
The launches will happen both from New Zealand, the place Rocket Lab is constructing a South Island launch website, or from an American vary.
Moon Express originally planned to build a much larger lunar lander, based on a common spacecraft bus developed for NASA’s Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer, and later developed a revised, smaller design.
Moon Express is competing to win the Google Lunar X Prize that will award up to $30 million to a private team that successfully lands on the moon and performs a series of tasks. “The new contract with Moon Express shows the broad market demand for Rocket Lab’s affordable, high-frequency Electron launch vehicle”.
“We think the collapse of the price to get to the moon is going to enable a whole new market kind of like the 4-minute-mile of space”, Richards said.
“Our goal is to blaze a trail to the Moon to unlock its mysteries and resources, so we can improve life on Earth”, Mr Richards says.
Richards said Moon Express is already planning for increased interest in lunar missions if their initial MX-1 missions are successful: The contract with Rocket Lab includes options for two additional Electron launches. The company combines best practices of traditional aerospace “know-how” with the innovation and entrepreneurial culture of Silicon Valley. So at least $US15 million must be involved. For more information, visit www.moonexpress.com. The rocket is created to take smaller payloads into varying levels of orbit. Rocket Lab is a privately funded company, with major investors including Khosla Ventures, K1W1, Bessemer Venture Partners and Lockheed Martin.
Advertisement
Rocket Lab is building its two-stage, liquid-oxygen-and-kerosene Electron rocket from scratch.
