It’s a small step for Uncle Sam, but a sign of much bigger things to come: For the first time ever, the USA government has OK’d a private firm’s mission beyond low Earth orbit – in fact, to the moon.
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There have been no private space missions so far beyond Earth’s orbit and only state agencies have performed outer space missions.
Although exclusive to the company, the approval will certainly serve as an important regulatory guide for deep-space commercial activity in general, said Moon Express co-founder and CEO Bob Richards.
The unmanned scientific spacecraft is expected to reach the moon in the second half of 2017, and we just can not wait.
The US government, comprising of entities like U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Department of Defense, NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Federal Communications Commission, reviewed the request of Moon Express and finally gave it a green signal. It’s one of 16 entries in Google’s “Lunar X Prize”, launched in 2007 and promising $20 million (£15 million) to the first company that manages to land a privately funded rover on the moon.
“The sky is not the limit for Moon Express – it is the launchpad”, said Moon Express co-founder Naveen Jain, describing the government approval as “another giant leap for humanity”.
Space travel is our only path forward to ensure our survival and create a limitless future for our children.
Jain says the moon also represents a big business opportunity as it holds many needed resources, including water.
Though, to be clear, Moon Express won’t be the only private company to get a stunning view of our planet in the near future.
And Moon Express isn’t the only game in town – earlier this year, Luxembourg announced a partnership with asteroid mining company Deep Space Industries, which hopes to begin launching robotic spacecraft on near Earth object prospecting missions in a few years.
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Moreover, Moon Express expects the upcoming mission to be profitable as well, thanks to sponsorships and private payloads.
