ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science → News

Startup gets green light to travel to the moon and explore for resources

This is the first company to travel to the Moon and explore its potential for resources.

Dragos MitricabyDragos Mitrica
December 5, 2016
in News, Space flight
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSubmit to Reddit

RelatedPosts

Earth’s oxygen has been emigrating to the Moon for billions of years, study finds
Saturn’s tiny moons? It’s all ravioli and collisions
Water and fog found on Titan, Saturn’s moon
Earth may have ‘mini-moons’ that could answer some interesting astronomy

Moon Express, a startup company based in Cape Canaveral, will soon become the first company to travel to the Moon and explore its potential for resources.

Moon Express logo.

The US government has granted permission to the company to launch from the US and aim for the Moon. They already have a launch date goal for 2017, when they plan to send a rover to the moon’s surface and survey for the best locations to set up mining operations. They are particularly looking at mining iron ore, water, rare Earth minerals, metals, carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, and helium-3.

Naveen Jain, founder of Moon Express says he was inspired by Elon Musk and SpaceX. He says that his company’s mission is part of a larger vision to start spreading humanity’s wings outside the Earth. He believes that multi-planetary habitation is very important for the survival of the human race, and this is the first step towards that. He also says that space flight is becoming cheaper and cheaper. In an interview with CNBC, he says that in a few years, traveling to the Moon may cost as little as $10,000.

“In a mission that initially cost us to go to the moon about $25 billion, our mission to the moon next year is going to be $7 million, and the year after it’s going to go down to millions. And in the next ten years, the cost of going to the moon is going to be $10,000. And in fact, even the time to go to the moon … we’ll be able to go to the moon in 4 hours. That’s faster than going from New York to London,” Jain told CNBC.

In a more pragmatic view, the Moon may also provide some much-needed resources. The Earth is running out of exploitable Helium-3 but there is good reason to believe that the Moon has an abundance of helium-3, an isotope used in neutron detection, cryogenics, and medical lung imaging.

The legal framework for extracting minerals outside of Earth is still debatable. Yet in 2015, the US Congress passed a law that made extracting resources in space fair game and China is also actively seeking ways to mine the Moon. The race is on, and everyone wants a piece of the moonpie. But in the long run, Moon Express is eyeing an even bigger objective: Mars.

“Mars is absolutely the right place to be ultimately. But (the) moon is the first training ground and the first stepping stone. At the end of the day, we would rather me a lunatic three days away than be a Martian six months away,” Jain told CNBC. “So I really believe the problems living on the moon are similar – the high radiation, vast temperatture difference – and if we can solve that problem on the moon we can easily go on living on Mars after.”

Tags: helium-3MoonMoon Express

ShareTweetShare
Dragos Mitrica

Dragos Mitrica

Dragos has been working in geology for six years, and loving every minute of it. Now, his more recent focus is on paleoclimate and climatic evolution, though in his spare time, he also dedicates a lot of time to chaos theory and complex systems.

Related Posts

Physics

The Moon Used to Be Much Closer to Earth. It’s Drifting 1.5 Inches Farther From Earth Every Year and It’s Slowly Making Our Days Longer

byStephen DiKerby
2 days ago
News

Pluto’s Moons and Everything You Didn’t Know You Want to Know About Them

byMihai Andrei
6 days ago
News

This $8750 Watch Was Designed for Space and Could Finally Replace Apollo-era Omega Watches

byTudor Tarita
3 months ago
News

An Asteroid Might Hit the Moon in 2032 and Turn It Into a Massive Fireworks Show from Earth

byTibi Puiu
3 months ago

Recent news

Biggest Modern Excavation in Tower of London Unearths the Stories of the Forgotten Inhabitants

September 17, 2025

Millions Of Users Are Turning To AI Jesus For Guidance And Experts Warn It Could Be Dangerous

September 17, 2025

Can Giant Airbags Make Plane Crashes Survivable? Two Engineers Think So

September 17, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • How we review products
  • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Science News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Space
  • Future
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Physics
      • Matter and Energy
      • Quantum Mechanics
      • Thermodynamics
    • Chemistry
      • Periodic Table
      • Applied Chemistry
      • Materials
      • Physical Chemistry
    • Biology
      • Anatomy
      • Biochemistry
      • Ecology
      • Genetics
      • Microbiology
      • Plants and Fungi
    • Geology and Paleontology
      • Planet Earth
      • Earth Dynamics
      • Rocks and Minerals
      • Volcanoes
      • Dinosaurs
      • Fossils
    • Animals
      • Mammals
      • Birds
      • Fish
      • Amphibians
      • Reptiles
      • Invertebrates
      • Pets
      • Conservation
      • Animal facts
    • Climate and Weather
      • Climate change
      • Weather and atmosphere
    • Health
      • Drugs
      • Diseases and Conditions
      • Human Body
      • Mind and Brain
      • Food and Nutrition
      • Wellness
    • History and Humanities
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • History
      • Economics
      • People
      • Sociology
    • Space & Astronomy
      • The Solar System
      • Sun
      • The Moon
      • Planets
      • Asteroids, meteors & comets
      • Astronomy
      • Astrophysics
      • Cosmology
      • Exoplanets & Alien Life
      • Spaceflight and Exploration
    • Technology
      • Computer Science & IT
      • Engineering
      • Inventions
      • Sustainability
      • Renewable Energy
      • Green Living
    • Culture
    • Resources
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Editorial policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.