Lunar Mission One: An International Mission to the Moon

This announcement is posted on behalf of David Iron of Lunar Missions Ltd. in London, UK: 

Over the last few weeks you may have heard about Lunar Mission One, a new exploratory robotic mission that will use pioneering deep-drilling technology to deliver extraordinary new insights into the origins of the Moon and the Earth. You can read more detail about the project on the Lunar Mission One website.

Our view is that, scientifically, there is so much more we can learn from the Moon. However, as we all know, public funding for missions that are entirely focused on improving scientific knowledge and understanding is limited. There are increasing financial pressures on governments around the world following the economic downturn. So we need to find another way of making space-science possible. Lunar Mission One will make use of crowdfunding to help finance the initial development stage of the project, then follow up with global sales of a unique "digital memory box" product that will be included in a 21st-century time capsule — backed by a mix of public and private partnerships — to fund the remainder of the mission costs.

Lunar Mission One may have been announced in London, but it is a truly international mission. What do we mean by that? To give an example, we chose Kickstarter because globally it is recognized as the leading platform for crowdfunding. Partnering with global leaders in their fields is the basis of our approach for every aspect of the mission. Lunar Mission One will be managed and delivered by an international consortium of the world's leading companies. Whether it is IT companies in India or drilling companies in Texas, we want to work with the best in the business.

Already, in the space of two short weeks, we have seen the international appeal and fascination of space exploration. From Cambodia and Costa Rica to Sweden and Singapore, individuals from more than 60 countries have already backed Lunar Mission One.

We have had a range of informal conversations with US companies and organizations who are keen to be involved in the delivery. For example, drilling is a central component of Lunar Mission One, and we have spoken to some of the leading drilling companies in the US. They are excited about their potential involvement and believe in the feasibility of our deep drilling — it is based on original work in the US. There is also a very good chance that the launch site will be in the US, and we know that the major US aerospace companies are interested in taking the lead for the spacecraft, and perhaps for the entire mission.

Ultimately, scientific exploration is at the heart of this mission, as described on the project's Science and Technology page. Over the past 7 years as we have developed our plans, we have had many conversations with the US science community, including NASA's Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI). We anticipate leading US scientists being heavily and actively engaged in the delivery of the mission science. We would welcome any AAS members who are interested in becoming involved registering their interest via our Contact Us form.