At first glance, it looks like R2D2 haas finally been blasted in space.
But in fact, the MX-1E from Moon Express could revolutionise space exploration – and pave the way to mine the moon.
The privately owned, Cape Canaveral based Moon Express hopes to take America back to the moon 45 years after NASA’s last lunar landing, and this week the rocket that could take it there began its final testing.
The MX-1E spacecraft is slated to fly before the end of the year aboard a Rocket Lab Electron booster, which launches from New Zealand and will attempt to win the $20M Google Lunar XPRIZE
The firm is is developing a fleet of low-cost robotic spacecraft that can be assembled like Legos to handle increasingly complex missions
The initial spacecraft, known as MX-1E,is a similar size and shape to the R2D2 droid from Star Wars, and is slated to fly before next year aboard a Rocket Lab Electron booster, which launches from New Zealand.
It will hop across the lunar surface on its legs.
Ultimately the company plans to establish a lunar outpost in 2020 and set up commercial operations on the Moon, mining material and returning it to Earth to sell.
He says the firm could also one day develop lunar colonies.
‘I love the thought of kids looking up and seeing lights on the moon,” he told Wired.
Moon Express hopes the endeavour will clinch a $20 million prize from Google, but CEO Bob Richards said the win is not essential.
Moon Express has raised more than $45 million from private investors to build its first spacecraft and buy launch services.
‘The Google Lunar X Prize … is icing on the cake,’ Richards said.
Google is offering a top prize of $20 million for the first privately funded team to land a spacecraft on the moon; have it fly, drive or hop at least 1,640 feet (500 meters) and relay pictures and video back to Earth.
The second prize is $5 million.
Contenders have until Dec. 31 to launch their spaceships.
Google also is offering bonus money for other milestones, such as traveling 5 km (3.1 miles), touching down near an Apollo landing site or finding evidence of water.
Richards presented the spacecraft design in Washington on Wednesday, revealing plans for a single, modular spacecraft that can be combined to form successfully larger and more capable vehicles.
Moon Express says it is self-funded to begin bringing kilograms of lunar rocks back to Earth within about three years.
‘We absolutely intend to make these samples available globally for scientific research, and make them available to collectors as well,’ said Bob Richards, one of the company’s founders, in an interview with Ars.
Besides vying for the X Prize, Moon Express will fly science equipment and payloads for at least three paying customers, including Houston-based Celestis, which offers memorial spaceflights for cremated remains.
THE THREE HISTORIC LUNAR MISSIONS
EXPEDITION ONE: LUNAR SCOUT
The Lunar Scout expedition will be the first commercial voyage to the Moon.
The initial spacecraft, known as MX-1E,is a similar size and shape to the R2D2 droid from Star Wars.
It is slated to fly before the end of the year aboard a Rocket Lab Electron booster, which launches from New Zealand.
This historic expedition will demonstrate the cost effectiveness of entrepreneurial approaches to space exploration, carrying a diverse manifest of payloads including the International Lunar Observatory, ‘MoonLight’ by the INFN National Laboratories of Frascati and the University of Maryland, a Celestis memorial flight.
Following completion of operations supporting our Lunar Scout expedition partners, we will attempt to win the $20M Google Lunar XPRIZE.
Roughly as tall as a person, the MX-1E can land up to 66 pounds on the lunar surface and is also designed to ‘hop’ across the Moon once it lands.
EXPEDITION TWO: LUNAR OUTPOST
The Lunar Outpost expedition will enable the first commercial presence and exploration of the lunar South Pole.
The poles of the Moon have concentrations of water and other valuable resources, as well as ‘peaks of eternal light’ where permanent sunshine and direct continuous communication with Earth is possible.
The primary goals of this mission are to set up the first lunar research outpost, prospect for water and useful minerals, and accommodate a variety of research instruments for our expedition partners.
EXPEDITION THREE: HARVEST MOON
The Harvest Moon expedition will take place by 2020 and includes the first commercial sample return mission, which also begins the business phase of lunar resource prospecting.
Moon Express says it is self-funded to begin bringing kilograms of lunar rocks back to Earth within about three years.
The lunar samples brought back will be the only privately owned Moon materials on Earth, and will be used to benefit science as well as commercial purposes.
His parents’ ashes will be on the flight.
He said they used to sing the song ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ to him, ‘and I’m going to.’
MX-1E is a similar size and shape to the R2D2 droid from Star Wars (right)
The company uses a Diana Krall recording of the song for its telephone hold music.
Richards said the company would pay for the initial mission, with customers funding subsequent ones.
The company plans to set up a permanent robot-operated base on the moon´s south pole to prospect for water and other materials.
By 2020, Moon Express expects to return lunar samples to Earth for research and commercial sale.
The MX series of spacecraft also can be scaled up for travel to other destinations, such as the moons of Mars.
The company expects to complete the first spacecraft in September.
The team from the US will be using a hopping lander, and has signed a multi-mission launch contract with Rocket Lab USA for three lunar missions by 2020.
THE FIVE X-PRIZE TEAMS
Moon Express: The start-up is one of the most promising candidates, having already won two Milestone Prizes: the Landing Prize ($1 million), and the Imaging Prize ($250,000), for a total of $1.25 million.
The team from the US will be using a hopping lander, and has signed a multi-mission launch contract with Rocket Lab USA for three lunar missions by 2020.
It is just one of two teams with a verified launch contract for its 2017 mission.
TeamIndus: The Indian team has also stood out from the competition, with the Landing Prize (for a total of $1 million) under its belt so far.
The team has signed a commercial launch contract with the Indian Space Research Organization’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle.
Their craft can nestle inside the nosecone of the PSLV.
Hakuto: The Japanese team has signed a rideshare agreement to have its four-wheeled rover carried to the Moon by TeamIndus.
Hakuto has $500,000 in prizes so far, after winning the Mobility Prize, making it one of the top competitors.
Their rover aims to explore holes thought to be caves or ‘skylights’ into underlying lava tubes.
SpaceIL: The Israeli team signed a deal with SpaceX to launch in late 2017. It will also use a ‘hopper’ style craft, relying on nano and micro satellite technologies to build a ‘small, smart and relatively cheap’ spacecraft that’s just the size of a dishwasher.
Synergy Moon: This international team will use Interorbital Systems’ Neptune 8 rocket to carry its lander and rover to the moon.
The team behind it hopes to make maned orbital travel, personal satellite launches, and solar system exploration more accessible.