“The Moon Express 2017 mission approval is a landmark decision by the USA government and a pathfinder for private sector commercial missions beyond the Earth’s orbit”, said Moon Express co-founder and CEO, Bob Richards.
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Musk’s outfit is one of a few private companies have launched satellites into Earth’s orbit.
Moon Express, a private organization, announced on Wednesday, that it has received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for a 2017 moon landing.
To address the conundrum, the FAA, which already exercises jurisdiction over commercial rocket launches in the United States, led an interagency review of the Moon Express proposal, which included steps the company would take to ensure compliance with the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. But so far no company has taken on the more daunting technical and engineering challenge that comes with leaving Earth’s orbit to travel to the moon or other planets.
If successful, Moon Express could pave a path for other companies to begin tapping the moon for iron ore, water, rare earths and precious metals, with the goal of turning Earth’s nearest neighbour into a way station for spare parts and rocket fuel.
This post was syndicated from The Guardian NigeriaThe Guardian Nigeria. The most recent mission to the Moon was in December 2013, by China’s Change 3.
Speaking after the announcement, Jain said: “This breakthrough ruling is another giant leap for humanity”.
But the regulations Moon Express drew up won’t affect hypothetical future commercial trips to the moon.
The company is also competing for the Google Lunar-X prize, a $20 million award to the first private company that can land on the moon with a vehicle capable of moving around the lunar surface. Moon Express is just the beginning and that we can’t even imagine yet exactly how companies will profit off of space.
Are they allowed to collect samples from the Moon?
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Moon Express, a Florida-based company with headquarters in Cape Canaveral, has finally won USA government clearance to send commercial and scientific missions to the moon. Moon Express also makes plans for another mission in 2020 to bring home some lunar materials, The Guardian wrote.
