Commercial manned trips to the moon expected by 2020

Commercial manned trips to the moon expected by 2020

BY NICOLETTE EMMINO

A start-up company led by former NASA executives, The Golden Spike Company announced Thursday that it is planning to offer routine exploration expeditions to the Moon by 2020. Coincidentally, the announcement came on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 17 launch, the last human exploration of the Moon.

Golden Spike CEO and former NASA science chief Dr. Alan Stern announced that the company has initiated a series of studies with small and large aerospace companies to begin designs for a lunar lander, space suits, and lunar-surface experiment packages that will be used on the missions.

Golden Spike illustration of its human lunar expeditions. (Image via The Golden Spike Company)

“We’re not just about America going back to the moon, we’re about American industry and American entrepreneurial spirit leading the rest of the world to an exciting era of human lunar exploration,” said Stern.

Each surface trip will allow travelers to stay at least 36 hours on the Moon. Besides their standard surface expedition tool kits, participants will be able to bring cameras, flags, plaques, or any other customer-provided equipment up to 110 lbs.

Since these will not be traditional space missions, Golden Spike predicts that its customers will want to go not only to participate in the scientific exploration and discovery, but also for national prestige, commercial development, marketing, entertainment, and even personal achievement. The company hopes to set up 15 to 20 expeditions within the 10 years of their first landing.

Golden Spike illustration of a lander on the Moon. (Image via The Golden Spike Company)

Don’t expect these missions to be cheap. The company is offering the first two-person trip for $1.4 billion and each subsequent expedition at $1.6 billion. These human lunar expeditions can be launched using existing launch vehicles and technologies already used in space exploration. The company only plans to develop new systems such as landers and suits, which can lower their costs.

Not only will passengers be offered a trip to the Moon’s surface, but they also have the option of engaging in lunar orbital missions (for only $900,000). For any expedition, prices will include crew preparation and services, training, and flight design.

Golden Spike is currently in the beginning stages of hardware development that will enable these kinds of landings. The company anticipates that starting its entire operation will cost between $7 billion and $8 billion including designing flight testing and other miscellaneous funds.

Golden Spike is a U.S.-based commercial space company started up in 2012 with the goal of providing human expeditions to the Moon. The company gets its name from the ceremonial spike that joined the rails of the First Transcontinental Railroad across the United States in 1869.& #9632;

For more information visit: http://goldenspikecompany.com/