RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) – U.S. start-up company, Golden Spike, plans to offer affordable and routine trips to the moon. The price? $1.4 billion for a two-person lunar surface mission.
Led by former NASA executives, Golden Spike matches what it currently costs national space agencies to send robots. They made the announcement on the eve of 40th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 17, which was the last time humans were sent to the moon.
The company plans to adapt existing rockets and make these available to nations, individuals, or corporations with lunar exploration objectives and ambitions.
Reasons to visit the moon the company suggests, could be anything from aims of scientific and commercial nature to national prestige or personal accomplishment.
In a mission statement on the company website, Golden Spike says:
“The Golden Spike Company is planning to transform human space exploration by putting in place affordably priced lunar orbital and surface expeditions to the only natural satellite of the Earth – the Moon. Golden Spike will further transform human lunar exploration by making these missions participatory expeditions that involve the general public in ways that create exciting new ways to monetize human space exploration.”
