crowd-funded lunar mission one aims to analyze origins of the moon

crowd-funded lunar mission one aims to analyze origins of the moon
images courtesy of lunar missions ltd

the lunar mission ‘one’ aims to provide new and significant insights into the origins and evolution of the moon by landing and drilling on its south pole within 10 years. the project headed by lunar missions ltd, will be funded partially through its crowd-funding campaign on kickstarter and its educational partners, such as; the institute of education and the open university. this offers people from around the world the opportunity to support and be part in an exploratory experiment that also hopes to understand the practicality of establishing a permanent manned base there in the future.

all profits will go into a trust to finance future space exploration

david iron, founder of lunar missions ltd and the lunar missions trust said: ‘governments are finding it increasingly difficult to fund space exploration that is solely for the advancement of human knowledge and understanding as opposed to commercial return. the world class team of advisers and supporters we have assembled will address this issue and crucially, anyone from around the world can get involved for as little as a few pounds. lunar mission one will make a huge contribution to our understanding of the origins of our planet and the moon and will inspire a generation to learn more about space, science and engineering – in the same way that my generation was inspired by the apollo moon landings.’

the spacecraft aims to land on the moon within 10 years

ian taylor, the former minister for science, technology & space and chair of Lunar Missions Ltd added: ‘scientific exploration has always been based on innovation and ambition. lunar mission one exemplifies this – not only in what it will seek to discover, but in reaching out to the wider public for involvement in and financing the project. ultimately, lunar mission one could become an exciting template for galvanizing additional resources to explore the moon and beyond.’

the lunar mission ‘one’ project was created with the help of RAL space who have supported previous NASA and european space agency expeditions, to drill to a depth of at least 20m and potentially to as deep as 100m, in order to analyze the 4.5 billion year old rock. the venture also aims to send and bury a 21st century time capsule containing a record of human history and civilization, a species database showing the biodiversity of animals and plants, and a digital memory box of those who fund their campaign.

by drilling into the moon’s rock, the materials can be analyzed in the hope to shed more light on the origins of the solar system