Moon Express has big plans to become the first private companionship to put a space vehicle on the lunar surface and to localize up a robotic frontier settlement station within the next three years .
On Wednesday , the Cape Canaveral - free-base startup announced their grand plan to found a Moon outpost for minelaying , inquiry , and as a larboard for further geographic expedition into the Solar System .
The team need to pop out this mission with theMX-1 Scout Class Explorer , the " humble cost planetary spacecraft ever " , which is currenly in evolution . Most remarkable of all , they want to get this little guy to the Moon by 2020 .
After this scout estate on the lunar surface , it will be joined by a host of progressively turgid space fomite – theMX-2 , theMX-5 , and theMX-9 – that are capable of “ crop ” together . finally , they will use the in full - assembled automatonlike lander to become the first commercial venture to successfully render a sample of moon dust .
The company originate in 2010 as an entry into theGoogle Lunar X Prize , a “ race ” for the first individual caller to get to the moon with a robotic lander , locomote 500 meter ( 1,640 feet ) , and air back some gamy - definition videos to Earth . The teams have to set in motion by the end of 2017 . So far , five private caller – SpaceIL , Moon Express , Synergy Moon , TeamIndus , and HAKUTO – have each ensure a contract to launch their ballistic capsule in the hopes of winning the $ 20 million prize .
In the eyes of Moon Express , the Moon is “ Earth ’s 8th Continent ” that ’s good for the pick . key to this vision is mining , sincelunar surface rocks and soils are richin utile but large ( and thus expensive to launch from Earth ) raw textile such as atomic number 12 , aluminum , silicon , iron , and Ti . Much of these untouched reserves are also relatively accessible as they ’re near the control surface .
Through the commercialization of space , Moon Express believe they hold the key to also making blank space approachable to all .
" That ’s where my tenderness is – solar scheme exploration on a grand musical scale that democratise and whole accelerate our evolution into the solar system through knowledge and discovery , not just a few expensive voyages frequent by King and government activity , like in history , " Bob Richards , Moon Express chief operating officer and Centennial State - laminitis , toldSpace.com . “We need to get everybody going . "
