Moon Express seeks commercial lunar mission approval

 

Washington – Moon Express is requesting that the U.S. government conduct a payload review of its spacecraft and plans leading to regulatory approval of a commercial mission to the moon in 2017. Moon Express is believed to be the first private space company to initiate the review process through a submission to the Federal Aviation Administration Office of Commercial Space Transportation (FAA AST).

 

The Moon Express 2017 lunar mission is a privately funded commercial space activity. To date, only government missions have ever ventured to the moon, Mars, asteroids or other beyond-Earth-orbit destinations.

 

Moon Express has actively consulted with the White House, federal agencies, and Congressional oversight committees to fashion an interim mission approval arrangement to license its 2017 lunar mission by enhancing existing regulatory processes that assure that the mission will be consistent with U.S. law, policy, and international treaty obligations.

 

"Moon Express applauds efforts underway by the U.S. Congress and Executive Branch to establish a permanent regulatory framework to authorize commercial activities beyond Earth orbit," said Moon Express cofounder and CEO Bob Richards. "Our 'Mission Approval' process is an interim arrangement that can be implemented quickly enough for our 2017 launch requirements, allowing us to continue to execute on our business plans under U.S. law while ensuring our activities are consistent with U.S. obligations under the Outer Space Treaty."

 

Moon Express’ proposed mission approval arrangement uses existing payload review and launch license processes under authorities of the Secretary of Transportation, and adds to them a series of voluntary disclosures intended to provide the federal government with sufficient information to help fulfill its obligations under the Outer Space Treaty, including the avoidance of harmful interference with existing public or private lunar operations or heritage sites, and respecting conventions of planetary protection applying to the moon.

 

"Regulatory uncertainty could become the greatest risk for non-traditional space activities," said Congressman Jim Bridenstine (R-Okla.). "The mission approval framework created by Moon Express is an elegant solution to increase regulatory certainty and comply with treaty obligations."

 

The Mission Approval initiative of Moon Express is a natural progression under the U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act (CSLA), signed into law by President Obama on Nov. 25, 2015, making the United States the first nation to explicitly recognize private sector space resource mining rights for abiotic water and minerals obtained from the moon and other celestial bodies. Both the Obama administration and bipartisan majorities in Congress have supported an increasing role for the private sector in America's national space endeavors, mandating NASA to use commercial partners wherever possible. In keeping with this mandate, NASA selected Moon Express under its Lunar CATALYST program in 2014 to develop new U.S. commercial lander technologies to help return the United States to the surface of the moon.

 

In October 2015, Moon Express announced a launch contract with Rocket Lab USA for three launches to the Moon beginning in 2017.