No limits: in the United States approved the first private commercial flight to the moon – BBC News

The American company Moon Express ( “Moonlight Express”) has received US government approval to send to the moon robotic lander in 2017.

The Federal Aviation Administration United States (The Federal Aviation Administration) on Wednesday, August 3 , has announced its positive decision, after consultation with the White house, the US state Department and the US space agency NASA.

So, Moon Express will be the first in the history of a private organization, which will send your spacecraft beyond the earth’s orbit.

it is noted that previously only government agencies can send spacecraft beyond the earth’s orbit. Private companies also were limited and could only carry out their projects within the near-Earth space.

Now that the directive is adopted, the space launch of Moon Express project can be implemented. According to this program, “Moonlight Express” will take on a natural satellite of the Earth with a cargo of scientific equipment in the second half of 2017. Moon Express, according to the company’s founder, Robert Richards (Robert Richards), intends to send to the moon lander is small – about the size of a suitcase. The very same mission will last no more than two weeks.

Earlier “Vesti.Nauka” reported that the US government’s decision to create an important precedent because now it guarantees the private companies of international treaties on outer space.

According to experts, such a decision will pave the way for other lucrative space projects. For example, those in which it is intended to produce minerals on asteroids and track space debris. Another important project of this kind -. Unmanned mission to Mars billionaire Elon Musk in 2018.

Let us add that the Moon Express – is one of the 16 companies competing for large cash consideration of Google Lunar X prize competition. It will be awarded to the team that can deliver on the Earth’s moon rover, satisfying a number of predetermined conditions. The prize fund is US $ 30 million.

In the meantime, a number of countries expressed the desire to have extraterrestrial construction and create a permanent base on the Moon. Thus, the carrier rocket “Angara-A5V” created in Russia and ship intended to send people to the moon. The lunar probe, which will explore the Earth’s satellite, planned to plant in 2024, and a permanent base to build by 2030.

British officials also talked about their plans for the development of the Moon. A new mission, called Lunar Mission One, It should be the first since the “Apollo” visiting Earth’s natural satellite man. Do not stay aside and the Japanese who develop unmanned vehicles for the construction of the base on the moon.