Moon Express, a private spacecraft manufacturing company, just received permission from the Federal Aviation Administration to launch its MX-1E lunar lander to the moon next year, making them the first private space company to receive U.S. Government permission to launch a craft beyond the orbit of satellites.

MoonEx is an American company made up of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and aeronautics specialists who are hoping to win the Google Lunar XPRIZE by becoming the first private company to land a spacecraft on the moon. Unlike the rovers that many companies are designing for the competition, the MoonEx MX-1E would land on the moon and then hover across the lunar surface, taking pictures and perhaps even bagging moon dust samples to be returned to Earth.

The company has already secured a contract with Rocket Lab to launch its lunar lander on an Electron rocket in 2017. With the U.S. Government seal of approval, the only thing now standing in MoonEx's way is its own ability to pull off the whole thing off.

No U.S. regulations are currently on the books regarding private space missions to the moon and beyond, so Moon Express took it upon themselves to submit a formal request to the FAA to approve its MX-1E payload in April. On July 20, the FAA gave a favorable review of MoonEx's payload, determining that launching the spacecraft would "not jeopardize public health and safety, safety of property, U.S. national security or foreign policy interests, or international obligations of the United States."

Artist's rendering of the MX-1E spacecraft on the moon. Moon Express

Article VI of the Outer Space Treaty, an international treaty between 104 countries, states that, "The activities of non-governmental entities in outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, shall require authorization and continuing supervision by the appropriate State Party to the Treaty." After conferring with the State Department, the FAA determined that the MX-1E mission would comply with the Outer Space Treaty, opening the door for MoonEx to proceed with its lunar plans. The FAA still needs to approve a request from Rocket Lab for a license to launch the MX-1E payload, but this is a minor hurdle to be cleared considering there is a precedent in place to approve private rocket launches.

Moon Express doesn't plan on stopping with the Lunar XPRIZE challenge. The company's contract with Rocket Lab includes two additional launches after MX-1E. MoonEx hopes to send future spacecraft to the moon to harvest resources, specifically the Helium-3 that is abundant in the moon's crust, for use in future nuclear fusion reactors (assuming we build an energy-positive one). Considering Congress recently passed the U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act, allowing private companies to own material harvested in outer space, MoonEx again seems only limited by its own abilities.

If MoonEx is the first to land on the moon, have its spacecraft travel 500 meters, and transmit high-definition photos and video back to Earth, it will win $20 million from the Lunar XPRIZE—a nice little boost to fund its space mining plans for the future. Moon Express's biggest competitor for the grand prize is Israeli company SpaceIL, which has also secured a rocket contract (its with SpaceX) for a 2017 launch.

"In the absence of legislative relief, the FAA will continue to work with the commercial space industry to provide support for non-traditional missions on a case-by-case basis when the law permits."

Private space companies have taken several major steps forward recently and set ambitious goals for themselves, such as SpaceX's plans to send a Dragon capsule to Mars by 2018. Given the immediate need for legislation regarding private space missions, Congress will likely have the details ironed out in the coming years—but even without official regulations in place, it is clear that U.S. lawmakers are willing to let private companies push forward with their lofty goals.

Source: Federal Aviation Administration

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